Lance Parrish Autographed 1995 Collector's Choice #377 Pittsburgh Pirates Card

Add a card from one of the shortest and least-represented team stops of Lance Parrish's career with this 1995 Collector's Choice #377 Pittsburgh Pirates card, personally autographed by the eight-time Major League All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner, six-time Silver Slugger winner and starting catcher for the 1984 World Series Champion Detroit Tigers.

The card is correctly cataloged as 1995 Upper Deck Collector's Choice #377 Lance Parrish Pittsburgh Pirates. Although issued in 1995, it reflects Parrish's 1994 season in Pittsburgh. He would actually spend the 1995 season with the Toronto Blue Jays, making #377 another interesting late-career transition card.

Parrish's stay with Pittsburgh lasted only 40 games during the strike-shortened 1994 season. At age 38, he remained productive in a part-time role, batting .270 with 34 hits, five doubles, three home runs and 16 RBI in 126 at-bats. Even more impressive was his .363 on-base percentage, giving him a .744 OPS during his lone season as a Pirate.

He spent most of his defensive time behind the plate, appearing in 38 games at catcher, while also making a brief appearance at first base. It was the next-to-last season of Parrish's 19-year Major League career; after Pittsburgh, he joined Toronto for 1995 and played his final 70 Major League games there.

That short Pittsburgh tenure gives this card a particularly nice collecting angle. Parrish spent ten seasons with Detroit and four with California, but only one season and 40 games with Pittsburgh, resulting in far fewer Pirates cards bearing his name. For someone building a deep Parrish autograph run, these short-tenure team issues are some of the cards that make the collection interesting beyond the obvious Detroit material.

Parrish retired after the 1995 season with 1,782 hits, 305 doubles, 324 home runs and 1,070 RBI. His career rsum included eight All-Star selections, three Gold Gloves, six Silver Slugger Awards and the 1984 World Series championship with Detroit.

Card Details:

• Player: Lance Parrish
• Team: Pittsburgh Pirates
• Year: 1995
• Manufacturer: Upper Deck
• Set: Collector's Choice
• Card Number: #377
• Represents Parrish's lone season with Pittsburgh
• Parrish appeared in only 40 games as a Pirate
• Batted .270 with three home runs and 16 RBI for Pittsburgh
• Posted a strong .363 on-base percentage and .744 OPS
• 1995 issue documenting his 1994 Pirates season
• Parrish played for Toronto by the time of the 1995 season
• Next-to-last team of his Major League career
• Eight-time MLB All-Star
• Three-time Gold Glove Award winner
• Six-time Silver Slugger Award winner
• Starting catcher for the 1984 World Series Champion Detroit Tigers
• 324 career home runs
• 1,070 career RBI
• Personally autographed
• Condition: NM-MT or better

Authentication: Signature obtained through a private signing conducted by Under the Radar Sports Promotions and guaranteed to pass any third-party authentication service.

For the Parrish run, I like this one because of the Pittsburgh uniform. The base card itself isn't scarcerecent unsigned sales remain inexpensivebut Parrish played only 40 games for the Pirates, so there simply aren't many mainstream issues representing this portion of his career. A signed example is an excellent addition for collectors of Lance Parrish autographs, Pittsburgh Pirates memorabilia, 1995 Collector's Choice baseball cards, short-tenure player issues, or comprehensive signed player collections.