Over the Hill and Back : Parrish Just Wants to Prove to the Dodgers That the Angels Were Wrong About Him

Tommy Lasorda figured to face one of those difficult-but-not-all-that-unpleasant decisions this spring.

Let’s see, who do I start at catcher? Twenty-four-year-old Carlos Hernandez? Or 24-year-old Mike Piazza?

This is the stuff that makes 65-year-old managers genuinely excited about beginning a 44th spring training. It’s the stuff that makes Lasorda’s syrup about the “sweet sound of the crack of the bat” ring true.

Hernandez hit .260 in 69 games with the Dodgers last year. Piazza hit .341 with 16 homers in 94 games with triple-A Albuquerque and .232 with Dodgers. Heck, one of these guys might turn out to be the next Lance Parrish.

The plot thickened last month, however, when the first Lance Parrish tossed his shin guards into the mix. The eight-time All-Star signed a minor-league contract Jan. 8.

The popular theory was that the Dodgers were providing their youngsters with a first-class mentor for the spring. But Parrish, determined to shed the over-the-hill label he believes was unjustly added to his resume when the Angels released him last season, has a very different scenario in mind.

“I’m sure that most everybody views this as a situation where I can maybe be a help to the younger guys,” he said. “Maybe to be a security net, a backup guy in case of injury or if the young guys don’t work out. But I view this as a chance to win a job. I can still play this game.

“I know this club is very high on Mike Piazza and Carlos Hernandez but that doesn’t really make any difference to me. Let’s put it this way, I don’t think there is anybody on this team that can do anything I can’t do. And I’m going down to spring training with the idea that I’ll do whatever I have to do to show that Lance Parrish can still play with the same ability that everyone says I once had but no longer possess.”

The Dodger brass, of course, is loving this. If Parrish doesn’t make the club, they don’t have to pay him. If he happens to return to the form that helped him hit 316 homers in a 16-year career, look out National League West.

And either way, the young guys are being pushed to reach their potential.

“All Lance is asking for is an opportunity,” Executive Vice President Fred Claire said. “And we’re going to give it to him.”

Lasorda sounds as if he already might be giving Parrish the benefit of the doubt.

“Lance is the kind of player you want to have around you,” Lasorda said. “He’s a tremendous competitor, a very classy guy, and he’s been a very successful player over the years.

“I wanted him to come down. I want to see what he’s got. He can add a lot to our ballclub with his experience and competitiveness. Even if I do keep the other two catchers, if I see that he’s doing well, I might go with three catchers.”

Parrish had just finished taking some swings in the batting cage during a recent workout at Dodger Stadium when a photographer said, “Hey, Lance, nice to see you.”

“It’s nice to be seen, “ Parrish said, managing a smile.

After a couple of stints on the disabled list, the Angels released Parrish in June. He was picked up by Seattle and hit .234 with eight homers in 69 games, but the Mariners didn’t offer him a contract for 1993.

So Parrish, 37, went home to Yorba Linda and stared straight in the face of retirement.

“There weren’t a lot of other options out there, to be honest,” he said. “When I agreed with the Dodgers, there were some teams expressing an interest, but no offers were made, and I didn’t feel like waiting around all winter to see if the interest would pan out.

“The circumstances certainly could be better. Sure, I’d like to come in here with a guaranteed contract, knowing that I was going to make the club. But I felt this was a great opportunity to stay home and play with a great organization, so I took advantage of it.”

Parrish doesn’t believe he should be in the position of having to prove himself all over again, but he seems to be relishing the opportunity to make the Angels sorry they let him go.

“Anytime a player gets released, especially in the middle of the season, other ballclubs have to take a big step back and look again,” Parrish said. “It really is a black mark.

“I didn’t feel it was justified, and the timing was terrible. I was still on the disabled list when they told me they were going to release me, and nobody ever gave me any reasons. As it turns out, it was just the beginning of a movement that has been put into full speed the last few months. They’re trying to get rid of a lot of veteran salaries and I guess I was a victim of that.”

It wasn’t just a money matter, though. A couple of seemingly minor injuries played a major role in Parrish’s fall from the Angels’ grace.

First, he suffered a strained tendon in his forearm, which got worse every time he swung the bat or threw a ball. He spent two weeks on the disabled list and, less than a week after returning, was hit on the hand while trying to check his swing.

“It just smoked my thumb,” he said. “I lost the thumbnail and it really hurt to throw. So I went back on the DL. Then, just when I was about ready to come off, they told me they were releasing me.

“I averaged 20 homers a year with the Angels and I thought I did a pretty good job catching. For that, I got booted out of town.”

He has the statistics to stake a claim for catcher of the ‘80s honors, but the Angels can point to Parrish’s numbers in the last two years to back up their decision.

Parrish was the team’s Most Valuable Player in 1990 after hitting .268 with 24 home runs and 70 RBI. But his batting average during his last two seasons with the Angels was .219. He struck out 139 times in 485 at-bats and drove in only 62 runs.

“Ninety-one was just a terrible year,” he said. “I was experimenting with my swing too much. Buck (Rodgers) had just come in and I was asked to make so many changes. And the more changes I made, the deeper in the hole I got.

“Still, I hit 19 homers in only 400 at-bats, and I think I did a good job handling the staff. We had three guys win 18 games, and Bryan (Harvey) was the Rolaids Relief Pitcher of the Year. I don’t know if I can take any credit for that, but I probably deserve a little.

“Then last year it just seemed like I wasn’t wanted there from the beginning.”

He would very much like to feel wanted again, and he’s acutely aware he will have a precious few weeks in spring to prove he’s worthy of a spot with the Dodgers.

A veteran of 19 training camps, Parrish has never faced one that meant as much as No. 20 will.

“I’m sure there are questions in their minds about whether I’m still capable of being a productive player,” he said. “Everyone thinks I can’t play anymore, at least that’s the impression I get, and I don’t understand it. I know I can still throw well. I know I can still catch. And I know I can still hit for power. With everything that went wrong last year, I still hit 12 homers in 93 games.

“Whether or not I can put it all together in one spring remains to be seen. But there is no question that I must have a good spring. I’ve been working hard all winter and there’s no reason I shouldn’t have a good spring. I’m confident I’ll be able to open some eyes.”

Parrish easily could have taken his three Gold Gloves and six Silver Bats and waited for the Hall of Fame to call. But he wants to retire on his terms, not someone else’s.

“I’d just rather not go out under the circumstances that I would have to go out under now,” he said. “It’s a personal thing. I guess I feel like I have something to prove, but more than that, I still love to play.”

Claire isn’t ruling out any possibilities. In fact, he wouldn’t mind seeing history repeat itself.

“I just saw Rick Dempsey, and that made me remember that he got a chance near the end of his career in 1988,” he said. “He ended up catching the final pitch of the 1988 World Series.”

What’s that they say about hope and spring?