Tag: dale murphy

HOF ’09: We’re Done!

Well, with Teddy Ballgame’s write-up on Greg Vaughn earlier today, we’ve concluded HOF ’09, our series of profiles of this year’s candidates for the Hall of Fame.  It’s been fun and I think we’ve even learned a bit along the way.

As for me, it was an interesting group of players to profile for a couple reasons.  A big one was that most of these players were big stars while I was a teenager and young adult when I was forming my serious interest in baseball.  Dave Parker, Jim Rice, Tim Raines, Andre Dawson… I have fond memories.  Not to mention that some of these players played in the era when the Chicago Cubs finally became a post season threat (I can still remember the ’84 series against the Padres… ugh). 

Also, these players came from a time when baseball had more of a balance of power, speed, and pitching.  Appropriately enough, that is reflected in the 2009 Hall of Fame ballot.  With the speed of Henderson and Raines, the power of McGwire and Rice and the pitching of David Cone, Bert Blyleven and Tommy John, this class is well represented. 

Who will get elected?  Well, we put our opinions down who we think SHOULD get the call but as to who WILL get elected is another matter.  The BBWAA has been rather stingy lately and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  It’s very possible that just one (Rickey Henderson??) will get elected and others will have to wait.

Time is running out for some, though.  The midnight hour is chiming for Jim Rice as it’s his last ballot.  There are some (myself included) who feel that his career and contribution is worthy of the Hall. 

We’ll find out tomorrow and the chips will fall where they may.  No doubt, many bloggers and pundits will be unhappy no matter how it goes.  I’ll predict at least one writer will have his credentials questioned and will be asked to step down from the BBWAA.  Unfortunately, THAT is the safest prediction I make right now. 

All that said, here are the opinions we’ve made in the last month.  Links go to our profiles on the players. 

Thanks for reading!

Hall of Fame Hall of Very Good Why is he even on the Ballot?
Harold Baines    
Jay Bell    
Bert Blyleven    
David Cone    
Andre Dawson    
Ron Gant    
Mark Grace    
Rickey Henderson    
Tommy John    
Don Mattingly    
Mark McGwire    
Jack Morris    
Dale Murphy    
Jesse Orosco    

Dave Parker

    
Dan Plesac    
Tim Raines    
Jim Rice    

Lee Smith

    
Alan Trammell    
Greg Vaughn    

Mo Vaughn

    

Matt Williams

    

 

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Teddy Ballgame and DonS for their help with his project.

Also, a lot of research went in to this.  I’d like to give props to the websites that were helpful. 

Baseball Reference:  I can’t say enough about this web site.  If there are baseball fans out there who haven’t seen this site and what it can do, you need to check it out.

Baseball Page:  Very helpful for bios and such.

Baseball Musings’ Day by Day Database:  Good for finding stats between established periods of time (and lots of other stuff).

Baseball Almanac:  another good bio site.  Good for the quotes too :)

HOF ’09: Dale Murphy

“I’m a natural left-hander, but I bat and throw right-handed because that’s the way I learned. But, I eat left and drink left and write left. I’m amphibious.”

– Dale Murphy

 

First, how many of you remember Dale Murphy ending his career with the Colorado Rockies?  Not me. 

It can be argued that Murphy was a five-tool player.  He had speed (161 career stolen bases), power (398 homers), and was adept in the field (5 Gold Gloves).  While his career average is only .265, he managed to toy with .300 in his prime.  .

Murphy Facts
  • Drafted 1st round (5th overall) in 1974 by the Atlanta Braves
  • Played for Atl, Phi, Col (1976-1993)
  • 7 time All-Star
  • Back-to-back MVP awards in 1982-83
  • Won 5 straight Gold Gloves

 

Let me start with Murphy’s positives at the outset.  Between 1982-1987, he was one of the best if not THE best hitting outfielders in the game.  If he crunch the stats, he averaged 36 homers, 104 rbis, 110 runs and a .382 OBP over those six years.  On top of that, he played excellent defense, winning those Gold Gloves. 

dale_murphy1-full Murphy won back to back MVP awards in 1982 and 1983.  Ironically, it was in the next two years, 1984 and 1985 when he led the NL in homers with 36 and 37 respectively (His 36 homers in ’82 and ’83 placed him second).  Health and consistency had much to do with Murphy’s success in the mid-80s.   He played every game from 1982-1985 for the Atlanta Braves. 

After his great season in 1987 when he hit 44 homeruns and 105 rbis, something snapped in Dale Murphy and he wasn’t quite the same player.  The next three seasons, he suffered sub-.250 batting averages though he managed to hit 20+ dingers.  This prompted a trade from Atlanta to Philly where his offense continued to slip (.252 and 18 homeruns in 1991).  He finished his career in Colorado in 1993 after 18 seasons of service to the game. 

If I could base my decision on Murphy’s five or six years when he was at his peak, he’d be a shoo-in.  No doubt about it.  But that’s not how it works and I can’t ignore the rest of his career (I don’t want to hear any crap from anyone about Sandy Koufax either). 

CLuke, who is the Dale Murphy fan in our APBA league, sees things a bit differently.  I did offer CLuke a chance to write this profile but he’s a bit busy this week.  He did email this though:

If Jim Rice is in then Murph deserves it. (He won’t get in or even get as close to Rice’s votes due to the east coast media’s bias towards Boston/ New York players.In Bill James’ book What ever happened to the Hall of Fame- he puts Dale as having 42 of the necessary points for Hall of fame induction. Jim Rice has 43 points.

Yes, put him in.

Nice try, CLuke.  Next time, you’ll write the article. 

I’ll say it’s close but I’d vote no.

 

  Hall of Fame

Hall of Very Good
  Why is he even on the Ballot?

 

While we wait for January 12 ballot results, The Baseball Zealot will be profiling those players who are on the 2009 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.  Read the rest the of the profiles.