2026 Up to date Baseball Period Committee Candidate: Dale Murphy

The next article is a part of my ongoing take a look at the candidates on the 2026 Up to date Baseball Period Committee poll. Initially written for the 2013 election at SI.com, it has been expanded and up to date. For an in depth introduction to this yr’s poll, use the instrument above. An introduction to JAWS might be discovered right here.

It took 4 place modifications — from catcher to first base, then left discipline, proper discipline, and eventually middle discipline — and components of 5 main league seasons for the Braves to determine the place the 6-foot-4 Dale Murphy match. As soon as they did, they’d themselves a franchise centerpiece, a healthful, milk-drinking celebrity whom Sports activities Illustrated profiled for its July 4, 1983 cowl story by proclaiming, “Murphy’s Legislation is Good Guys End First.”

The title was a reference to the slugger serving to the Braves to an NL West title the earlier yr, their lone playoff look through the 1970-90 stretch. “Right here’s a man who doesn’t drink, smoke, chew or cuss,” wrote Steve Wulf. “Right here’s a man who has time for everybody, a man who’s gradual to anger and desirous to please, a man whose agent’s identify is Church. His favourite film is Frank Capra’s It’s a Great Life. He’s an exquisite ballplayer.” Let the document present that Wulf did unearth some grime on Murphy, noting that he as soon as obtained a dashing ticket for doing 35 in a 25-mph zone… whereas working late to talk to a church group.

Murphy received the primary of his back-to-back MVP awards in 1982 in addition to the primary of his 5 consecutive Gold Gloves, and made his second of seven All-Star groups. He would spend many of the Nineteen Eighties as one of many sport’s finest gamers. Alas, knee issues turned him right into a shadow of the participant he as soon as was whereas he was nonetheless in his early 30s, and he performed his ultimate sport within the majors at age 37.

That early decline didn’t bode properly for Murphy’s Corridor of Fame probabilities. He debuted with 19.3% on the 1999 poll, peaked at 23.2% the following yr, and spent the following 13 years principally within the low teenagers, even dipping into single digits twice. Like his ballot-mate Don Mattingly, he was included on the 2018 and ’20 Fashionable Baseball Period Committee ballots however failed to satisfy the minimal to have his precise share of the vote reported; all that we all know from the Corridor’s press releases is that he obtained fewer than seven of the 16 votes in 2018 and three or fewer in ’20. Although he underperformed on the latter poll relative to newcomers Dwight Evans and Lou Whitaker, he was included on the 2023 Up to date Baseball poll whereas these two — neither of whom had beforehand appeared on an Period Committee poll after their temporary BBWAA ones — weren’t. Murphy obtained 37.5% on that one, and is again to attempt constructing upon that, presumably as a result of the Corridor and the Historic Overview Committee that assembles the poll welcome a substitute for the PED-linked gamers and prickly personalities on this period’s pool of candidates. Having cataloged the misdeeds of a few of these miscreants advert infinitum, I’ve come to understand Murphy’s virtues extra, which isn’t to say that his precise Corridor of Fame case is a robust one.

Murphy was born on March 3, 1956 in Portland, Oregon, to folks Charles and Betty Murphy. Save for the household’s temporary relocation to California to accommodate his father’s profession as a gross sales govt for Westinghouse, he grew up in Portland. His mother and father signed him up for Tualatin Little League baseball when he was 10. He collected only one hit that yr, however by the point he reached Woodrow Wilson Excessive College, he was a star catcher who earned All-Metropolis and All-State honors and sometimes drew 20 or extra scouts to video games. His highschool and American Legion coach, Jack Dunn, believed his arm was second to none. “I at all times knew he was one thing particular,” Dunn advised Wulf. “I do know it’s only a coincidence, however do you know that the person who found Babe Ruth was additionally named Jack Dunn?”

Murphy signed a letter of intent to play at Arizona State College, however when the Braves made him the fifth decide of the 1974 draft, he selected to go the professional route, and signed for a $43,750 bonus. Touted as the following Johnny Bench because of his highly effective bat and his arm power, he rose rapidly by the minors, debuting within the majors on September 13, 1976, when he was simply 20 years previous. He hit singles off the Dodgers’ Rick Rhoden and Charlie Hough in his debut.

Sadly, by the spring of 1977, Murphy had developed a psychological block about throwing to second base, both hitting the mound or the pitcher, or throwing the ball into middle discipline. In a single spring coaching sport, the Yankees twice pulled off delayed double steals when Murphy double-pumped however didn’t throw, and he later threw the ball down the left discipline line on a steal of third base. A postgame dressing-down from supervisor Dave Bristol didn’t assist his confidence, both.

Murphy spent most of 1977 within the minors, however made one other September cameo, throughout which he hit .316/.316/.526 in 76 plate appearances; he didn’t stroll as soon as, however he homered twice in a September 15 sport towards the Padres, as soon as off 1976 NL Cy Younger winner Randy Jones, and as soon as off ace reliever Rollie Fingers (himself a future Cy Younger winner). Alas, he additionally made six errors in 18 video games behind the plate, and groups stole 25 bases in 30 makes an attempt towards him.

In 1978, supervisor Bobby Cox made the 22-year-old Murphy the staff’s beginning first baseman, with occasional backup catching duties behind Biff Pocoroba. He did hit 23 dwelling runs, simply two wanting the entire that Cox predicted within the spring, however principally he struggled in that function, placing out a league-high 145 occasions whereas hitting .226/.284/.394 (80 OPS+). Again at catcher the next spring, he opened the 1979 season on a tear earlier than lacking two months attributable to in-season arthroscopic surgical procedure on his left knee. Upon his return, he by no means spent one other inning behind the plate, and maybe not coincidentally turned in a much-improved .276/.340/.469 line with 21 homers in 104 video games, good for a 113 OPS+.

Murphy’s throwing was nonetheless an issue, and after the Braves acquired first baseman Chris Chambliss from the Blue Jays in December 1979, they resolved to maintain the younger slugger’s bat within the lineup by shifting him to the outfield. After experimenting with him at each outfield corners, Cox moved Murphy to middle discipline for the primary time on Might 13, 1980. “I believe they put me in centerfield as a result of it’s as distant from dwelling plate as doable,” he quipped to Wulf. Regardless of the rationale, all the things clicked into place for Murphy. His throwing woes disappeared, and he flourished on either side of the ball, batting .281/.349/.510 with 33 dwelling runs (third within the league) and a 135 OPS+ (seventh), and making his first All-Star staff. Defensively, he was 11 runs above common at his new place, and his 6.6 WAR was good for fourth within the league.

The Braves had themselves a star. Although Murphy scuffled through the strike-torn 1981 season, he homered 4 occasions in Atlanta’s first seven video games in ’82 whereas the staff jumped out to a 13-0 begin below new supervisor Joe Torre, and edged the Dodgers by a sport to say its first NL West title since ’69. (Sure, MLB had a wierd understanding of geography on the time.) Murphy not solely received his first Gold Glove, he beat out the Cardinals’ Lonnie Smith (chosen two picks earlier than him by the Phillies in 1974) for NL MVP honors because of his 36 dwelling runs (second within the league) and 109 RBI (first); he additionally ranked fourth in walks (93), seventh in WAR (6.1), and eighth in OPS+ (142).

That was the primary yr of a six-year stretch throughout which Murphy hit a mixed .289/.352/.531 (145 OPS+) whereas averaging 36 homers, 18 steals, 105 RBI, and 5.7 WAR; for that span, his 218 homers led the majors, whereas his 34.1 WAR ranked eighth on an inventory whose prime 10 gamers except for Murphy at the moment are within the Corridor of Fame. Murphy signed a five-year, $8 million extension with the Braves in February 1983, and re-upped for 3 years at $2 million a yr after the ’87 season, however he by no means made it again to the playoffs. His 88-win Braves misplaced out to the Dodgers within the NL West race in 1983, however he set a profession excessive with 7.1 WAR (second within the NL) whereas once more hitting 36 dwelling runs and slugging a league-best .540, numbers that helped him declare his second MVP award; at 27, he was the youngest two-time winner to that time.

Murphy led the NL in homers in each 1984 and ’85 (36 and 37, respectively), and once more in slugging share within the former yr (.547). Within the homer-happy season of 1987 — a season that previewed the upper offensive ranges of the following decade — he hit a career-high 44, together with the three hundredth of his profession on August 21 off the Pirates’ Brian Fisher.

Murphy accompanied that dwelling run complete with different private bests: 115 walks (29 intentional), a .417 on-base share, .580 slugging share, 157 OPS+, and seven.7 WAR. He had moved to proper discipline that yr, after his protection deteriorated in middle; by way of Whole Zone, he was 38 runs under common in 1985-86, however 11 above in ’87. For as robust a season as he had, he obtained scant MVP consideration; the award went to Andre Dawson, who hit 49 homers however had a a lot decrease OPS+ (130) and WAR (4.0) whereas toiling for an additional sub-.500 staff, the 76-win Cubs. (The Braves received 69 video games.) That winter, Murphy was one in all eight women and men who shared Sports activities Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Yr award. “Athletes Who Care: A Salute to Eight of the Many Who Honor Sport by Serving to Others,” learn the quilt, whereas the accompanying article on Murphy by Peter Gammons detailed the time he dedicated to quite a few causes. “To go to hospitals and see folks battle and overcome cystic fibrosis or most cancers or any variety of sicknesses is to see braveness that’s humbling. And athletes continuously should be humbled,” Murphy advised Gammons.

Because of common publicity on the Braves’ TBS superstation, Murphy was a full-blown celebrity, and a healthful one at that; a religious convert to Mormonism, he didn’t drink, smoke, chew tobacco, or curse. At that juncture, he seemed Cooperstown-bound. He owned a profession .279/.362/.500 line, 310 dwelling runs, 5 30-homer seasons and 6 top-three finishes within the class from 1980-87, a span throughout which solely Mike Schmidt out-homered him, and solely six gamers exceeded his 42.4 WAR: Rickey Henderson, Schmidt, Gary Carter, Wade Boggs, Robin Yount, and Alan Trammell.

Sadly, it was all downhill from there, performance-wise. Murphy hit a mixed .238/.311/.403 (99 OPS+) with a median of twenty-two homers and a complete of simply 6.4 WAR from 1988-91, with knee issues on the middle of his woes. After present process arthroscopic surgical procedure to take away torn cartilage in his proper knee in January 1989, he declined from a 106 OPS+ to a mark of 89, and his strikeout charge (21.9%) was his highest since his ’78 rookie season. He was puzzled at his offensive struggles. “I’ve been learning movies of the best way I used to be hitting just a few years in the past, speaking to lots of people however nobody has give you a particular reply but,” he advised UPI’s David Moffit in July 1989. “The very best I can determine it, I’m not getting below the ball the best way I used to. I’m as robust as I’ve ever been, however I appear to be chopping down on the ball slightly than giving it a experience.”

For nevertheless a lot work he put in to check his mechanics and get away of his stoop, Murphy rebounded solely barely in 1990. With free company looming, and with a youth motion taking form round him on a staff that was headed for 97 losses, Murphy went to Cox, by then the Braves’ normal supervisor, and provided to waive his 10-and-5 rights for a commerce. On August 3, he was dealt to the Phillies as a part of a five-player deal. The subsequent yr, although he hit for a 103 OPS+ — his finest mark since 1988 — with 18 dwelling runs in 153 video games, subpar protection restricted him to 0.8 WAR. Including insult to damage, the Murphy-less Braves went on to win 94 video games and the NL pennant in 1991, the daybreak of their decade-and-a-half stretch as a powerhouse.

Issues went from dangerous to worse for Murphy in 1992, as he underwent one other surgical procedure on his left knee, developed a staph an infection, and wound up enjoying in simply 18 video games. The Phillies launched him two days earlier than the 1993 season opened in order that he might signal with the enlargement Rockies, which meant that once more, he missed out on enjoying for a pennant winner. He performed simply 26 video games and didn’t homer in 49 plate appearances earlier than deciding it was time to go dwelling to spouse Nancy, who was pregnant with the couple’s eighth little one. He was simply 37 years previous and two dwelling runs wanting 400. “I figured that if I couldn’t hit dwelling runs in Denver, I couldn’t hit dwelling runs, interval,” he later mentioned.

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Regardless of his two MVP awards, Murphy’s early retirement left him with profession totals that didn’t stand out as Corridor-caliber so far as late-Twentieth century voters have been involved. He had simply missed turning into the twenty sixth participant to succeed in 400 dwelling runs, and due partially to his penchant for strikeouts (1,748, seventh all time to that time), his profession .265 batting common was decrease than all however six gamers enshrined on the time, together with sluggers Reggie Jackson (.262) and Harmon Killebrew (.256), who completed with 563 and 573 profession homers, respectively.

As famous above, Murphy debuted with simply 19.3% of the vote in 1999, and peaked after including about 4 share factors the following yr. Whereas he spent his full 15 years of eligibility on the poll, he by no means once more broke 20%, twice slipped under 10%, and completed at 18.6% on the 2013 poll. When he was included on the 2018 Fashionable Baseball Period Committee poll, his share of the vote was lumped in among the many half-dozen candidates who obtained fewer than seven of the 16 votes; even that obscure description distorts the fact {that a} most of 19 votes have been shared between six candidates in addition to these with the reported totals, specifically the elected Jack Morris (14 of 16 votes) and Trammell (13), the near-miss Ted Simmons (11), and Marvin Miller (7). On the 2020 poll, when Simmons (13) and Miller (12) have been elected and 4 different candidates obtained six to eight votes, Murphy, Mattingly, Tommy John, and Thurman Munson have been described as receiving three or fewer.

Superior statistics don’t make a very robust case for Murphy, both. His 46.5 profession WAR ranks thirty seventh amongst middle fielders, although as a result of he completed among the many NL’s prime 10 5 occasions, his peak rating of 41.2 ranks a extra respectable 18th, higher than 9 of the 19 enshrined on the place, two of whom (Larry Doby and Kirby Puckett) nonetheless have larger JAWS regardless of a lot shorter careers. Andruw Jones, Carlos Beltrán, Kenny Lofton, and Jim Edmonds, none of whom are enshrined but, all have larger peak scores and outrank him in JAWS, the place he’s twenty seventh, forward of solely 4 non-Negro Leagues honorees.

Proponents of Murphy can level to final yr’s election of Dave Parker for an instance of a recent who was elected by an Period Committee regardless of even much less outstanding superior stats; Parker is forty third amongst proper fielders with 38.7 JAWS, with simply 40.1 profession WAR and 37.4 peak WAR. Like Murphy, Parker had a stretch by which he was regarded among the many sport’s best gamers; he received an MVP award, two batting titles, and three Gold Gloves within the late Seventies, to not point out a championship with the Pirates. It’s not an unfair comparability, however Parker, who endured a mid-career interval when knee accidents and drug utilization compromised his play, did return from the sting of oblivion to complete with 2,712 hits (601 greater than Murphy, in 1,101 extra plate appearances) and function an elder statesman on a pair extra World Sequence groups with the A’s. That definitely works in Parker’s favor, as Murphy by no means had both the late-career revival or the standing as a invaluable veteran on a profitable squad of kids. Parker’s lengthy battle with Parkinson’s Illness — which ultimately claimed his life simply weeks earlier than his induction — and the efforts to honor him whereas he was nonetheless alive definitely contributed to his election final yr. If I separate these feelings from my very own analysis of Parker’s case based mostly on the deserves of his profession, I don’t suppose he was a very robust alternative for the Corridor of Fame. To me, Murphy’s Corridor of Fame case is superior to Parker’s, although I equally imagine he can be a substandard decide if he have been to be elected based mostly solely on his achievements as a participant.

And but, Corridor of Fame voting doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Even earlier than Parker’s election, I famous on this area final time round that within the wake of Harold Baines’ slightly surprising election on the 2019 At this time’s Sport poll, Murphy had been (and nonetheless has been) the candidate I’ve thought of essentially the most. Baines ranks 79th in JAWS amongst proper fielders. He had longevity and a excessive hit complete (2,866) in his favor, however his peak rating (21.4) is barely half of Murphy’s and his profession WAR (38.8) doesn’t even match the middle fielder’s peak. “Why battle over Dale Murphy or Fred McGriff if Harold Baines is the usual?” I wrote whereas venting my frustration over Baines’ election.

What’s extra, as Corridor of Fame discussions have come to incorporate extra details about gamers’ character and off-field conduct — a lot of it detrimental, sadly, notably with regards to incidents of home violence — I’ve come to understand Murphy much more. His ultimate yr on the writers’ poll coincided with my first yr protecting the election cycle for SI.com after doing so from 2004-12 for Baseball Prospectus. That 2013 poll introduced forth the candidacies of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, and Sammy Sosa, to not point out Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza, and Lofton. No person was elected that yr, as the problem of performance-enhancing medicine grew to become entrance and middle. In distinction, a number of of Murphy’s eight kids mounted a public relations marketing campaign on his behalf, one which included an open letter to the BBWAA (with callouts of “statistics nerds” in addition to JAWS and different fancy stats, all of which absurdly sufficient got here from a PhD candidate in organizational conduct), a Change.org petition, a splendidly endearing cartoon, and extra. Whereas principally tasteful, at one level, a few the Murphy youngsters even took their photographs at me on Twitter, which wasn’t enjoyable.

Nonetheless, having spent the previous decade and a half endlessly cataloging the misdeeds of Bonds, Clemens, Schilling, and Sosa — PEDs, home violence, bigotry and hatred, and different inappropriate conduct — and others, I discover it refreshing the extent to which Murphy’s decency stands out. It’s not solely as a result of he steered away from that ugly stuff, which is a fairly low bar to understand somebody for, however as a result of he really did arise for issues that proceed to resonate, each inside baseball’s ongoing tradition battle and issues even greater than that. I may not have thought twice about him past his candidacy had my spouse, Emma Span, not edited items he wrote for The Athletic on unwritten guidelines, celebration and emotion inside the sport and extra, however what impressed me most was his thread highlighting systemic racism and violence towards Black folks within the wake of one in all his sons being injured in a George Floyd-related protest in 2020, an motion for which Murphy endured backlash. On Corridor of Fame ballots that haven’t lacked for heels, Murphy has stood out as a real mensch, and that feels notably price noting on this context.

I’m not suggesting that a particularly optimistic invocation of the Corridor’s infamous character clause — which has virtually uniformly been used to justify refusing to vote for any person — ought to end in Murphy’s election. Nor am I suggesting {that a} better-than-Baines commonplace ought to be grounds for electing him; if that’s the case, we’re going to want a much bigger boat, one which has room for dozens if not tons of of gamers. Whereas I wouldn’t use one in all my three poll areas on Murphy, I can let you know that I’d not have it in me to protest the election of a two-time MVP who for just a few years had a declare as one of many sport’s finest and most revered gamers, and who continues to dwell as much as excessive requirements. Que sera sera.