Salty Parker
Francis James Parker
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 173 lb.
- Debut August 13, 1936
- Final Game September 16, 1936
- Born July 8, 1912 in East St. Louis, IL USA
Died July 27, 1992 in Houston, TX USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Salty Parker had one season in the major leagues as a player, and two in the major leagues as a manager. He was the nephew of Riley Parker.
Born in 1912, he came up to the majors shortly after he turned 24. In 11 games in 1936 with the Detroit Tigers, he hit .280. It was a big-hitting year though - the Tigers as a team hit exactly .300. Parker was primarily a shortstop, and the Tigers would continue to use Billy Rogell at that position for several more years.
Parker continued to play more or less regularly in the minors into the late 1940s, missing 1944 due to military service, and he continued to get occasional at-bats through 1957. He spent more than a dozen years in the Texas League.
Thirty-one years later, he briefly managed the New York Mets for 11 games in 1967 after Wes Westrum, who managed the team most of the year, was fired. He had been a coach for the Mets prior to that.
Five years after managing the Mets, he managed the Houston Astros for one game in 1972, in between Harry Walker and Leo Durocher that year. He had coached for the Astros siince 1968. He scouted for the Astros after 1972.
He managed the Dallas Eagles in 1957, when Willie McCovey was there.
Some wits have constructed the "All Condiment Team", on which Salty Parker plays, along with Pepper Martin, Mayo Smith, Chili Davis, Pickles Dillhoefer, Frank Buttery, and others.
| Preceded by Wes Westrum |
New York Mets Manager 1967 |
Succeeded by Gil Hodges |
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