Career
Born in East Saint Louis, Illinois, Parker played in the Major Leagues for one month from August 13, 1936 through September 16, 1936. He appeared in 11 games, 7 at shortstop, for the Detroit Tigers, collecting seven hits and four RBIs for a.280 batting average and a.333 on-base percentage. Parker was sent to the Tigers on December 2, 1936 in a trade with Indianapolis American Association that also brought Dizzy Trout to the Tigers.
Though Parker only played a month, Trout was a Major League pitcher for years, and eventually the Tigers" ace.
After a lengthy minor league managerial career, including a stint managing Leones de Escogido in the Dominican Republic (1957-1959), Parker coached for the San Francisco Giants (1958-1961), Cleveland Indians (1962), Los Angeles/California Angels (1964-1966. 1973-1974), New York Mets (1967) and Houston Astros (1968-1972) and served brief stints as manager of the Mets, where he had a 4–7 record in 11 games in 1967, and the Astros, where he had a 1–0 record in 1 game in 1972.
After his MLB coaching career, Parker scouted for the Angels and remained active in Houston-area baseball, coaching in the Karl Young League for many years. Parker died in 1992 at age 80 in Houston, Texas.