Jan 12 2009
Hall call for Murphy? It’d be nice, but don’t think it will happen
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
ATLANTA — Today the phone will ring at Rickey Henderson’s house, and the Baseball Hall of Fame will be on the other end of the line.
It’s the call every major-league player dreams of getting, but so few receive, the call that lets a player know he’s been voted into the Cooperstown, N.Y., shrine that honors the greatest of the greats.
Henderson’s induction into the Hall, in this his first year of eligibility, is a slam dunk. Jim Rice also will be sitting by the phone, hoping his 15th and final crack at getting in via the votes of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, is the charm.
Every January, the votes are announced, the calls go out, and the phone at Dale Murphy’s house sits silent. The former Atlanta Braves’ outfielder has received as high as 23 percent of the vote – 75 percent is required for induction – but his numbers have slipped in recent years.
It’s a question Braves’ fans ask every winter: Will Murph, the brightest Braves’ star of the mostly dark 1980s, ever make it into Cooperstown?
Those of us who watched Murphy night-in, night-out would love to see his effort rewarded with baseball’s ultimate honor. His performance on the field, for mostly wretched Braves’ teams, points to a player indeed worthy of consideration: two-consecutive MVP awards (1982, 1983), five straight Gold Gloves (1982-1986), seven All-Star appearances, four Sliver Slugger awards. He led the NL in homers, RBIs and slugging percentage twice. He topped 30 homers six times in his career and drove in more than 100 runs five times, the last time for each coming in 1987, when Murph blasted 44 homers and drove in 105 runs while batting .295.
But starting in 1988 at age 32, Murph’s numbers dropped at a staggering rate. His average slipped to .226 with 24 homers and 77 ribbies. In 1989, Murph hit .228 with just 20 homers, and was hitting .232 with 17 dingers when he was shipped to Philadelphia on Aug. 3, 1990.
Murph finished his career with a .265 average and 398 homers, two away from the 400 mark that many people think he needed to reach to validate his Hall of Fame status. I don’t doubt that thought process at all, but to me, longevity at a high level is a bigger issue when considering Murphy for induction.
From 1982 through 1987, it’s hard to argue Murph wasn’t among the greatest in the game. He hit .281 or higher five times in those six seasons, hit 30-plus homers five times (29 in 1986) and drove in 100-plus runs five times. He stole 10 or more bases five times, including 30 swipes in 34 attempts in 1983, when Murphy joined the 30-30 club (he hit 36 homers that season).
Yes, for those six seasons, Murph was among the very elite. You also could throw in the 1980 season, a breakout campaign when Murph hit 33 homers, drove in 89 runs and hit .281. But seven seasons of sheer greatness usually isn’t enough to sway voters. The Hall, by its nature, rewards greatness that transpires during a long period of time, and I don’t expect the voters’ mindset has changed from Januarys past to today.
I’d love for Murphy to make it into the Hall. He embodied everything we look for in a role model. He played hard. He played well. He played everyday (Murph played in all 162 games from 1982-1985, missed only two games in 1986, and only missed three games in 1987). Off the field, he proudly professed his faith, living a clean life that steered clear of the stimulants that marred many careers during the ’80s.
With the backlash against players thought to have used performance-enhancing drugs, Murphy’s case has moved back into the spotlight, a guy who did things the right way. He earned 13.8 percent of the Hall vote last year, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Murph picks up a few more votes today.
But I don’t think it will be enough. Had he been able to extend his stretch of excellence for a few more seasons, then I think he’d have a better shot. It’s possible one day the Veterans Committee will turn its attention to the man who wore the No. 3 proudly for what was at the time one of sports’ worst franchises. But for now, I don’t think the Hall will be dialing Murphy’s number anytime soon.
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