Lance Parrish

Lance Michael Parrish (born June 15, 1956), nicknamed "Big Wheel", is an American former professional baseball player who played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1977 through 1995. He played for the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, California Angels, Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Toronto Blue Jays. He currently is the manager of the West Michigan Whitecaps. He was regarded as one of the best catchers in the 1980s for both his offensive and defensive play.\n', ' Parrish was offered a scholarship to play college football for UCLA but turned it down to pursue a career in baseball. He was drafted as a third baseman by the Detroit Tigers in the first round of the 1974 Major League Baseball draft. While playing for the Lakeland Tigers in the minor leagues, he was converted to a catcher.\n', ' Parrish reached the major leagues in 1977 on a part-time basis, and by 1979, he had replaced Milt May as the team\'s regular catcher. In 1979, he also played winter baseball in Puerto Rico with the Mayagüez Indians. Parrish hit for a .286 batting average along with 24 home runs and 82 runs batted in during the 1980 season to earn his first American League All-Star team berth as well as winning his first Silver Slugger Award.\n', '