Dale Murphy's Kids Are Still Banging the HOF Drum

A couple of weeks from now, the whole "is Dale Murphy a Hall of Famer" discussion will have been shelved until he hits the Veterans Committee ballot.

But that isn't going to stop his kids from making as much noise as possible for their father.

Eldest son Chad reached out to the BBWAA, another son, Taylor, started up a petition and daughter Madi typed up an exclusive piece for this site!

Now, brother Tyson has joined the family business in trying to get the two-time National League MVP some well deserved recognition.

Tyson, an artist for Blizzard Entertainment inked up a pretty cool Christmas gift for his Dad.  And, as luck would have it...dude shared it with the internets this past weekend.

(click HERE to make bigger!)

 

HOVG Heroes: Dale Murphy

TODD COPPERNOLL on DALE MURPHY

Greetings, Hall of Fame Jurors, it’s time for you to decide the fate of Mr Dale Murphy. Before we proceed, there are some things I'd like to say on Mr Murphy's behalf.

First of all, Murph played the majority of his career on Atlanta Braves teams whose talent was closer to that of the Columbus Clippers than that of the New York Yankees. Forget the notion of Dale pounding fastballs over the fence because the pitcher was more focused on holding the runner. Don't worry about inflated RBI totals for a man who constantly batted with runners in scoring position. Anything Dale Murphy achieved as a major league player was done on talent alone, there was no place to hide, and there was no one to lean on.

Shortly before he turned eighteen, Dale Murphy was drafted by the Braves with the fifth overall pick in the 1974 draft. Coming through the minor leagues as a catcher, Murphy was on a fast track to stardom. Dale made his first big league appearance at the age of 20, and was in the majors to stay at age 22.

Dale's major league career did not start with a bang, while he showed power from the beginning, his skills were very raw- the statistics from his rookie season bear that out. That first year Murphy hit 23 home runs in 530 at-bats, but he also struck out 145 times, finishing with a batting average of .226 and an on base percentage of .284.

Murphy's breakthrough season came in 1982, when he was age twenty-six. That year, the Braves began the season 13-0, and went on to win the National League West, before losing in the playoffs to St Louis. Murphy established himself as the star of the team, winning his first Gold Glove, his first Silver Slugger and the first of two consecutive NL MVP awards.

This began a run of six consecutive seasons which will ultimately decide Murphy's fate with Hall of Fame voters. From 1982-1987, Murphy won two MVP Awards, five (consecutive) Gold Gloves and four (consecutive) Silver Sluggers. He played in every game from '82-'85 and missed only five games total over the six seasons.

A true superstar during this time, Murphy averaged 36 home runs per year, and had a 30/30 season for good measure. If you remember Dale Murphy as one of the greats of his generation, it's the images of these seasons that will come to mind.

On the downside, Murphy slowed rapidly, beginning at age thirty-two.

In 1987, Murphy hit .295, with a career-high 44 home runs, 105 RBI and 16 stolen bases. In '88 he fell to a batting average of .226, with 24 home runs, 77 RBI, and three steals.

He was never a dominant player again. Just like that.

The era of the 70s and 80s was not a great time to be a power hitter, historically speaking.  Among players who debuted in the 1970s, only Mike Schmidt and Eddie Murray went on to hit 500 home runs.

With that in mind, I decided to compare Murphy's career stats to Schmidt and Murray, and added contemporary Hall of Famers Dave Winfield, George Brett, and Robin Yount.

Here's what I found:

	Season	Runs	Hits	2B	HR	RBI	AVG.	OPS
Murphy	13.4	89	157	26	30	94	.265	.815
Control Group	17.2	93	173	32	24	97	.285	.839

Here we can quickly see why Murphy is a borderline case, and why he has failed to win the fancy of the Hall voters. The abrupt decline of his productivity left him short of the Control Group by nearly four full seasons played, and also left him short in every category but home runs.

His numbers certainly are respectable, an average of 30 home runs per season during this particular era is quite impressive, but the overall stats do not compare well to this group.

Whether this should influence Hall of Fame voting or not, Mr. Murphy is regarded as a first class gentleman by anyone you'll ever hear speaking about him. He's an easy guy to root for.  He did his job, did it very well, and didn't complain publicly about the lack of talent around him, although he would have been justified to do so.

All things considered, what I see here is a very good player, who had a great peak to his career. With two or three more dominant seasons, Murphy would have had my vote with ease, but things didn't turn out that way. Murph tried to hang on long enough to reach 400 career home runs, but hit only two while batting well below .200 during his final two years as a player. He came just short of the milestone because his skills gave out just a bit too soon, which is exactly the way I see his case for the Hall of Fame.

My vote is a disappointing no, made such by my own wish to see nice guys succeed. I can't say yes on this one, but I would be very pleased if I'm in the minority.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Todd Coppernoll recently launched his website Baseball in the Blood, an entertaining mix of news, history and overall silly baseball stuff.  You can follow him on Twitter at @bballintheblood or over on Facebook.

Dale Murphy Talks Chipper Jones

It's natural for a ballplayer, any ballplayer really, that, once they finish their career...they go on to talk about it on a daily basis.

Many get paid handsomely to do it (i.e. Nomar Garciaparra, Harold Reynolds, etc.).

Plenty don't.  And I guess that's what the internet it for.

One of the more recent entries into the whole social media fray is two-time National League MVP Dale Murphy and, suffice it to say, the former Atlanta Braves superstar has a few thoughts about his former team and, namely, Chipper Jones.

Read!

Lately a few people have asked me about Chipper and whether he can get to 500 home runs. I definitely think he has a chance at 500, seeing as how he’s sitting at 450 right now. If he comes back next year (and I think he’s already announced that he will), he could be even healthier than he was this year (he was recuperating in spring training this year, if you remember). In fact, not only do I think he could he get to 500 home runs, but I think he could get to 3,000 hits and finish his career with some truly impressive numbers (either way, he’s still a Hall of Famer, no question about it).

I'm with Murphy on the Hall of Fame thing...Jones will, without a doubt, get in on the first ballot. Dude is, along with Eddie Murray and Mickey Mantle one of the best switch hitters of all-time.

But, I'm not buying the whole 3000 hits and 500 homers prediction.

Consider this.

Jones is currently 39-years-old (he'll turn 40 three weeks into next season) and, basically, 400 hits and 50 homer shy of the milestones. Or, essentially, the same amount of hits and homers as the 1999 National League MVP has hit since the 2008 All-Star break.

Yes, I know the guy has been injured. But it isn't like a 40-year-old thirdbaseman is going to get more durable as he gets older.

Plus...it isn't like you can put him at first a la George Brett and prolong his legacy given the Braves have a bonafide stud in Freddie Freeman already occupying the position.

So, let me hear it, gang. Do you agree with me or one Dale Bryan Murphy? And, no, no hearts will be broken if you side with Murph...the guy is an '80s baseball immortal.

Cooperstown 2011: Dale Murphy

DALE MURPHY
Thirteenth Year on Ballot (2010 - 11.7%)

PLAYING CAREER:  Atlanta Braves (1976–1990), Philadelphia Phillies (1990–1992) and Colorado Rockies (1993)

ACHIEVEMENTS:  Career batting average of .265 with 2111 hits, 398 home runs and 1266 RBI.  Bacl-to-back National League MVP in 1982 and 1983.  Hit 20-plus home runs 12 times, 30-plus six times and 40 or more...once.  Knocked in 100 runs five times and scored 100 runs four times.  From 1982 to 1985...hit .293, averaging 36 home runs and 110 RBI.  Shares Major League record for most seasons leading the league in games played by an outfielder with six.  Five-time Gold Glove Award winner (1982-1986) and seven-time All-Star (1980 and 1982-1987).  Had his number retired by the Atlanta Braves in 1994. 

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ON TWITTER:

@msimonespn:  Dale Murphy is the opposite for me. My gut says YES, the compiled numbers say eh...But for 6 yrs, he was best in NL/MLB. Is 6 yrs enough?

@Strikeoutlookin:  No way in Hell Rains gets in the Hall of fame and Dale Murphy not.. Its a TRAVESTY the Murph is outside looking in.


@Ben_Duronio:  Love Dale Murphy, but can't agree that hes a HOF'er over Blyleven.

HOVG THOUGHTS:  It’s hard to remember how dominant Dale Murphy was when he hit his peak in the mid-80s. Consider this…when he retired, his 398 home runs ranked 19th all-time. Now…he sits at 50.  After winning his back-to-back MVP awards in 1982 and 1983, Murphy appeared to be on his way to Cooperstown.  Now…not so much.

Hall of Fame 2010: Dale Murphy

From now until the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2010 is announced, The Hall is going to be breaking down each candidate. Some write ups will be lengthy...some will be the opposite. Some will be brand new pieces...some will be re-hashes of previous pieces.

It’s hard to remember how dominant Dale Murphy was when he hit his peak in the mid-80s. Consider this…when he retired, his 398 home runs ranked 19th all-time. Now…he sits at 48.

After winning his back-to-back MVP awards in 1982 and 1983, Murphy appeared to be on his way to Cooperstown.

Now…not so much.

Earlier this year, good friend of The Hall, Josh Bennett, stopped by to sing the praises of Murphy…here goes.

I have an unfortunate addiction to fixating on anything that comes across the TV with a scoreboard.

Golf, tennis (preferably women’s, for obvious reasons), badminton…doesn’t matter. Hell, if I come across MTV and the “Real World/Road Rules Challenge” is on…I want to know who wins in the gauntlet.

This past weekend, I stumbled upon the Under Armor All-America High School Football Game.

I started seeing listings for this guy rated THIS by that service and this guy rated THAT by this service…blah, blah, blah. What intrigued me the most was seeing several players with a position listed as “ATH”.

It stands for “ATHLETE”, which apparently means the individual is far too talented to be listed at just one position.

As I watched several 18 and 19 year-old boys do sack dances and stand over the Blue Chip QB they just hammered, I reminisced about an “ATH” I loved during my youth. He was drafted in the first round by an MLB team and gravitated to become the face of the franchise.

He was drafted as a CATCHER (I know…“ATHLETE” and “CATCHER” in the same paragraph, but give me a second here), but was far too talented to ruin his knees and wreck his offense worrying about how to handle a pitching staff.

Though you may have a recent retiree in mind, don’t even think about saying Craig Biggio…"The Murph” was a catcher with entirely too much offensive talent, a cannon arm and a gait like a gazelle to spend his time rotting away behind the plate.

When the Atlanta Braves made Dale Bryan Murphy the fifth overall pick in the 1974 draft, they knew they were choosing a 6’5” 215-pounder out of Portland, Oregon (when do you get to play baseball in Portland…between downpours?) with an unlimited supply of power from the right side of the plate. Only problem…he’s a catcher and the DH rule wasn’t available to the Senior Circuit.

Besides, Murphy was too good to be DH material anyhow.

After spending his call-up in 1976 and 1977 as a backstop, the Braves had a brainstorm. They needed to move this catcher, with tons of offensive potential, a rocket arm and athleticism for days, to a position that was better suited to his tools…first base!

Now a more accurate reason for Murphy’s switch from first to the outfield in spring training 1980 is Bob Horner, the Braves 1978 first rounder (number one overall pick), needing somewhere to play when he wasn’t fighting off groundballs like a hockey goalie at the hot corner or injured.

Again, I am arguing it was because of Murphy’s athleticism…not too hard though. Murphy’s FIVE Gold Gloves (playing mostly centerfield) wins that debate for me.

So let’s get to it, Dale Murphy should be a Hall of Famer.

He destroyed National League pitching in the 80’s. On top of the five, 24K Rawlings, he was a seven time All-Star and was 30-30 in 1983…year two of back-to-back MVP seasons. He very easily could have won two more…one in 1984 (.290, 36 HR, 100 RBI) and again in 1987 (.295, 44, 105) if not for two Cubs.

Two Cubs!

Ryne Sandberg and Andre Dawson did both deserve it, not disputing that, but Murphy finished ninth and eleventh in voting respectively in those years. Guys named "Wallach" and "Cruz" finished ahead of him in voting and in ’84 he beat Jody Davis in voting by just 3 points.

Come on…Jody Davis?!? The guy on top of trophies had a better batting stance than him.

How does Murphy stack-up with some current Hall members?

Let’s put him up against two…one a catcher, one a center fielder (irony intended). “The Murph” scored more runs, had more hits and homers than the catcher and won as many MVP awards. The center fielder…Murphy had 2 more MVP awards than him.

Is Murphy better than Johnny Bench and Duke Snider? Probably not.

Does he belong in the same class? Absolutely.

He unfortunately did not have the benefit of playing for, and winning World Series titles like Bench and Snider did. He played in Atlanta when they were shitty at best and he was most, if not all, of what they had.

As I drifted back into consciousness to some wide receiver from the State of Florida committing LIVE, on the spot to the Gators (what a shocker), I longed for the days of a true “ATH.” Like when a 1983 Dale Murphy Topps card made my day when I got one in a pack.

As I recalled the stale flavor of baseball-card-pack bubble gum, I thought to myself what I thought then…“The Murph” sure smells like a Hall-of-Famer.

In 2009 it's Henderson, Rice and "The Ram"

I suppose that it’s purely coincidence that on the same night Mickey Rourke wins the Best Actor Golden Globe…plenty of players that shared the same heyday as the fictional Randy “The Ram” Robinson went to bed wondering when and if their phone is going to ring.

Today is the day for some. It is the culmination of a career, validation of a job well done and for most…a heartbreaking “thanks for playing” consolation prize.

We know one guy that is in for sure…Rickey Henderson.

Fans of the greatest leadoff hitter EVER can make their reservations for the weekend of July 24, because Henderson is poised to garner the most votes when the Hall of Fame ballots are counted and made public. For the record, Cal Ripken Jr. got the most votes (537 in 2007) while Tom Seaver had the highest vote percentage (98.8% in 1992).

My guess is Henderson eclipses them both. But who else deserves to share the podium with Henderson?


It’s been 20 years since Cooperstown has opened its doors for a leftfielder (Carl Yastrzemski was elected in 1989), will the Hall welcome TWO this summer?

With Dennis Eckersley (2004), Bruce Sutter (2006) and Goose Gossage (2008) making it in in three of the last four years...does another reliever get enshrined?

Will the Hall welcome a pair of pitchers with a staggering 575 wins between them?

Yes…no?!? I don’t know to be honest. I mean, I have an idea as to who MIGHT make their way in…but I also have my opinion as to who I would vote in if given a vote.

YES.

Rickey Henderson.
No questions asked…the guy could have written his speech 10-15 years ago.

Jim Rice.
Is it conceivable Rice has finally changed the minds of those 16 writers that keep him from getting in last year? Possibly. Bert Blyleven was the sexy pick of all the bloggers and writers out there and fell short…something tells me that this year’s darling (Rice) will no longer be the bridesmaid.

Harold Baines and Andre Dawson.
Again, like Rourke’s character in “The Wrestler”, both had tremendous success in the late 80s and early 90s and have terrible, terrible knees. I would vote for both for different reasons. Baines was the pre-eminent DH of his time and as I’ve said before…if you’re going to include the DH as a position, you’ve gotta include a DH in the Hall. I put “The Hawk” in simply on his own merit. He was every bit the player Jim Rice was and as equally feared.

Lee Smith.
I met the guy last April and the man is intimidating as all Hell. Lee seemed bigger than life standing next to me (I'm 6'4") and shaking his hand was like grabbing a tractor tire. I can only imagine what it was like having him throw something in your direction from sixty feet, six inches. His 478 saves was pretty good too.

NO.

Jay Bell, Mark Grace and Matt Williams.
The trio that helped bring a championship to Arizona in 2001 is going to have to buy their admittance to the Hall just like you and me.

The Cousins Vaughn…Mo and Greg.
I loved them both. Along with Dante Bichette…I think a majority of the fantasy league teams I put together between 1998-2003 contained one if not all three of them.


Ron Gant, Jesse Orosco and Dan Plesac.
One of these guys is a two-time 30/30 club member. Another one is the all-time leader in games pitched. The last one once signed a card for me outside County Stadium. Combined, they won’t be lucky to get enough votes to stay on the ballot a year from now to see Ray Lankford, Kevin Appier and Mike Jackson also not get elected.

Mark McGwire.
I’ve heard all the OPS arguments, but take away his tremendous home run total and all you’ve got is a guy who played in a ton of All-Star games and had precious little to show for it.

Dave Parker and Alan Trammell.
It’s possible that both “The Cobra” and “Alan” (did the vanilla white Trammell HAVE a nickname?) will take the writers to the limit. The problem is…after 15 years, neither will have gotten any closer to entering Cooperstown.

Bert Blyleven and Tommy John.
These two have 575 victories between them…not too shabby. On the flip side, they have only six All-Star appearances, four 20 win seasons, two rings and NO Cy Young Awards. 48 years in the bigs and that’s the best you can muster?

Which leads me to…

I’M ON THE FENCE…seriously.

David Cone and Jack Morris.
Honestly, I’d put both of these guys in before Blyleven and John. They were winners through and through. The argument is always “Blyleven/John did what they did on teams that didn’t win”. My response…“Cone and Morris MADE their teams winners”. EIGHT times.

Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy and Tim Raines.
If you paid ANY attention to baseball in the 80s…THESE were three of about a dozen or so guys that you would pay good money to watch. Of the three, I think Mattingly is the only one who will have his dance card punched…even if it is by the Veterans Committee.

Based on the breakdown, I guess I’d put in five guys (Henderson, Rice, Dawson, Smith and Baines)…we’ll see soon how the REAL writers do.

Who are YOUR Hall of Fame picks? Let’s hear ya!

Remember the "Athlete"?

***Claiming that “Donnie Baseball” made him do it…here’s JB’s take on a certain someone on this year’s Hall of Fame ballot.***

I have an unfortunate addiction to fixating on anything that comes across the TV with a scoreboard.

Golf, tennis (preferably women’s, for obvious reasons), badminton…doesn’t matter. Hell, if I come across MTV and the “Real World/Road Rules Challenge” is on…I want to know who wins in the gauntlet.

This past weekend, I stumbled upon the Under Armor All-America High School Football Game.

I started seeing listings for this guy rated THIS by that service and this guy rated THAT by this service…blah, blah, blah. What intrigued me the most was seeing several players with a position listed as “ATH”. It stands for “ATHLETE”, which apparently means the individual is far too talented to be listed at just one position.

As I watched several 18 and 19 year-old boys do sack dances and stand over the Blue Chip QB they just hammered, I reminisced about an “ATH” I loved during my youth. He was drafted in the first round by an MLB team and gravitated to become the face of the franchise. He was drafted as a CATCHER (I know…“ATHLETE” and “CATCHER” in the same paragraph, but give me a second here), but was far too talented to ruin his knees and wreck his offense worrying about how to handle a pitching staff.

Though you may have a recent retiree in mind, don’t even think about saying Craig Biggio…"The Murph” was a catcher with entirely too much offensive talent, a cannon arm and a gait like a gazelle to spend his time rotting away behind the plate.

When the Atlanta Braves made Dale Bryan Murphy the fifth overall pick in the 1974 draft, they knew they were choosing a 6’5” 215-pounder out of Portland, Oregon (when do you get to play baseball in Portland…between downpours?) with an unlimited supply of power from the right side of the plate. Only problem…he’s a catcher and the DH rule wasn’t available to the Senior Circuit.

Besides, Murphy was too good to be DH material anyhow.

After spending his call-up in 1976 and 1977 as a backstop, the Braves had a brainstorm. They needed to move this catcher, with tons of offensive potential, a rocket arm and athleticism for days, to a position that was better suited to his tools…first base!

Now a more accurate reason for Murphy’s switch from first to the outfield in spring training 1980 is Bob Horner, the Braves 1978 first rounder (number one overall pick), needing somewhere to play when he wasn’t fighting off groundballs like a hockey goalie at the hot corner or injured.

Again, I am arguing it was because of Murphy’s athleticism…not too hard though. Murphy’s FIVE Gold Gloves (playing mostly centerfield) wins that debate for me.

So let’s get to it, Dale Murphy should be a Hall of Famer.

He destroyed National League pitching in the 80’s. On top of the five, 24K Rawlings, he was a seven time All-Star and was 30-30 in 1983…year two of back-to-back MVP seasons. He very easily could have won two more…one in 1984 (.290, 36 HR, 100 RBI) and again in 1987 (.295, 44, 105) if not for two Cubs.

Two Cubs!

Ryne Sandberg and Andre Dawson did both deserve it, not disputing that, but Murphy finished ninth and eleventh in voting respectively in those years. Guys named "Wallach" and "Cruz" finished ahead of him in voting and in ’84 he beat Jody Davis in voting by just 3 points.

Come on…Jody Davis?!? The guy on top of trophies had a better batting stance than him.

How does Murphy stack-up with some current Hall members?

Let’s put him up against two…one a catcher, one a center fielder (irony intended). “The Murph” scored more runs, had more hits and homers than the catcher and won as many MVP awards. The center fielder…Murphy had 2 more MVP awards than him.

Is Murphy better than Johnny Bench and Duke Snider? Probably not.

Does he belong in the same class? Absolutely.

He unfortunately did not have the benefit of playing for, and winning World Series titles like Bench and Snider did. He played in Atlanta when they were shitty at best and he was most, if not all, of what they had.

As I drifted back into consciousness to some wide receiver from the State of Florida committing LIVE, on the spot to the Gators (what a shocker), I longed for the days of a true “ATH.” Like when a 1983 Dale Murphy Topps card made my day when I got one in a pack.

As I recalled the stale flavor of baseball-card-pack bubble gum, I thought to myself what I thought then…“The Murph” sure smells like a Hall-of-Famer.