Let’s run Dale Murphy through Bill’s famous “Ken Keltner List.” Fifteen questions:
1. Was he ever regarded as the best player in baseball? Did anybody, while he was active, ever suggest that he was the best player in baseball?
Absolutely: Murphy won back-to-back MVP awards in 1982 and 1983, which probably gets you into the discussion. He was a Gold Gove centerfielder who hit 36 homeruns and walked 90 times a season year-in and year-out. He even stole a few bases.
Let’s take 1982-1985: where does Murphy rank among the best players of that era?
|
Stat (1982-1985)
|
Total
|
Rank
|
|
Games Played
|
641
|
1st
|
|
Hits
|
707
|
8th
|
|
Home Runs
|
145
|
1st
|
|
Batting Average
|
.293
|
28th
|
|
On-Base Percentage
|
.383
|
11th
|
|
Slugging Percentage
|
.583
|
2nd
|
|
Adjusted OPS (OPS+)
|
148
|
5th
|
|
Runs Created
|
503
|
1st
|
I don’t think Murphy was ever actually the best player in baseball: objectively he wasn’t quite as good as Schmidt or Brett or Eddie Murray. But he was certainly part of the conversation, at least for a half-decade.
2. Was he the best player on his team?
He was, obviously. Just off the top of your head, who else would you even consider for that title? Bob Horner? Jeff Burroughs? Glenn Hubbard? About the only real contender was Phil Niekro, who had a terrific 1982 season but was gone by 1984.
3. Was he the best player in baseball at his position? Was he the best player in the league at his position?
Yes, he was. For at least two years Murphy was the best centerfielder in baseball. The best center fielders in baseball 1980-1986, according to OPS+:
|
Year
|
Name
|
OPS+
|
|
1980
|
Cesar Cedeno
|
147
|
|
1981
|
Andre Dawson
|
157
|
|
1982
|
Fred Lynn
|
143
|
|
1983
|
Dale Murphy
|
149
|
|
1984
|
Dale Murphy
|
149
|
|
1985
|
Rickey Henderson
|
157
|
|
1986
|
Kirby Puckett
|
141
|
Murphy also ranks as the best NL centerfielder in both 1982 and 1985, though he is passed by Lynn and Henderson in the AL.
Was he the best outfielder? Again, he probably was. From 1982-1985 he led all major league outfielders in Runs Created, while playing 160 games each season and winning four Gold Gloves.
4. Did he have an impact on a number of pennant races?
Murphy was invovled in two pennant races during his career. In 1982, the Braves won the NL West title, finishing a game ahead of the Dodgers. They were promptly swept by the Cardinals in the ALCS. A year later, in 1983, the Braves finished three games behind the Dodgers.
Aside from those two years, Murphy played on a string of loser teams. He was a full-time player during the fourteen seasons between 1987 and 1991, and only three of his teams posted records over .500. By contrast, nine of the fourteen teams finished either 5th or 6th in a six-team divisions.
Certainly, Murphy was an impact player on the two pennant races he was involved in: he won MVP awards both seasons. But it also bears mentioning that whenever Murphy left a team, their fortunes tended to improved. He left the last-place Braves in 1990: in 1991 the Braves won the NL pennant. He left a lousy Phillies team after 1992: in 1993 the Phillies won the NL pennant.
5. Was he a good enough player that he could continue to play regularly after passing his prime?
Murphy did not age well: by the time he was t thirty-two he was just an average outfielder. This is a little surprising as Murphy was a clean-living ballplayer who eschewed drugs. His last regular season came when he was just thirty-five years old.
6. Is he the very best player in baseball history who is not in the Hall of Fame?
No, he’s not. He is not a better player than Ron Santo or Tim Raines, to name just two.
7. Are most players who have comparable career statistics in the Hall of Fame?
No, not most. His ten more comparable players are Joe Carter, Andruw Jones, Duke Snider, Don Baylor, Ron Santo, Gil Hodges, Ruben Sierra, Jack Clark, Ellis Burks, and Jim Edmonds. Only one of those players is in the Hall of Fame.
8. Do the player's numbers meet Hall of Fame standards?
There are sixty outfielders in the baseball Hall of Fame. If he were elected, Murphy’s 398 homeruns would rank him 16th, between Al Kaline and Jim Rice. His 1266 RBI would rank him 28th, between Enos Slaughter and Zack Wheat. His batting average of .265 would be the second-lowest batting average of any Hall-of-Fame outfielder, ahead of only Reggie Jackson.
He totaled 1308 Runs Created, which would rank 38th among HOF outfielders, between Earl Averill and Kiki Cuyler. He has an OPS+ of 121, which ties him with Heinie Manush for 48th among the outfielders.
Aside from homeruns, his career totals are on the low end of the Hall of Fame’s standards.
9. Is there any evidence to suggest that the player was significantly better or worse than is suggested by his statistics?
Like Jim Rice, Dale Murphy’s career numbers were dramatically inflated by his home park in Atlanta. He had a .281/..368/.499 slash line at home, but just a .250/.324/.440 line on the road.
10. Is he the best player at his position who is eligible for the Hall of Fame but not in?
Considered as a centerfielder, it’s either Murphy or Jimmy Wynn. That said, Murphy is certainly not the best outfielder not yet in the Hall-of-Fame. That honor would go to Raines in left field, and perhaps Dave Parker or Dwight Evans in right.
11. How many MVP-type seasons did he have? Did he ever win an MVP award? If not, how many times was he close?
Murphy has five MVP-caliber seasons, 1982-1985 and 1987. That’s a good number: there were five years when any conversation about the best player in the league had to have Murphy in it. He won two MVP awards, and finished 9th, 7th, 11th, 12th, and 21st in other years.
12. How many All-Star-type seasons did he have? How many All-Star games did he play in? Did most of the other players who played in this many go to the Hall of Fame?
He played in seven All-Star games, and had six or seven All-Star caliber seasons, depending on how you judge his 1986 performance. I would estimate that about half the players in history who play in seven All-Star games go on to the Hall of Fame. (Does anyone know where I could find a sortable list of all-star appearances?)
13. If this man were the best player on his team, would it be likely that the team could win the pennant?
Sure. In his best seasons, Murphy was very good: an excellent offensive player with good defense at an important position. The 1982 Braves won the NL West with Murphy, Bob Horner, Chris Chambliss, Phil Niekro, and a whole lot of nobodies. It was a weak division, but it wasn’t Murphy’s fault that the Braves didn’t have a whole lot of talent.
14. What impact did the player have on baseball history? Was he responsible for any rule changes? Did he introduce any new equipment? Did he change the game in any way?
He probably taught managers that it isn’t wise to try and make an athletic outfielder into a catcher. The Braves tried to move Murphy, who was an excellent defensive player at the middle of the defensive spectrum, to the far left of the spectrum. It didn’t pan out and mangers don’t do that anymore.
15. Did the player uphold the standards of sportsmanship and character that the Hall of Fame, in its written guidelines, instructs us to consider?
Certainly. Murphy was well-known as one of the cleanest-living players of his era, and one of the most generous.
* * *
Thanks to Bill for providing the framework for this discussion. To summarize:
The Case for Dale Murphy: During his peak years between 1982-1987, Murphy played like a Hall-of-Famer. In those years he was one of the game’s ten best hitters, a great defensive player at a demanding defensive position. He compiled some impressive career numbers, including 398 home runs and an adjusted OPS of 121. He won two MVP awards, five Golden Gloves, and four Silver Slugger awards. He was famous: he was popular among fans and routinely thought of as one of the best players in the game. He remains the one of the best players at his position not in the Hall of Fame. He was clean player during a period when baseball had a drug problem. He gave generously to worthy causes.
The Case Against Dale Murphy: He played in a baseball stadium that jacked up his hitting stats. His career got started late (thanks to the brilliant decision to play him at catcher). His career ended very early. He played fourteen full seasons in the major leagues, and was only a great player in half those seasons. His career totals aren’t particularly impressive: his batting average is low considering the park advantage, and his on-base percentage isn’t impressive, either. His teams never won diddly or squat.
My Two Cents: Here’s a challenge for you: first, generate a list of ten randomly selected Hall of Famers. Here’s one: the #50-59 Hall-of-Fame players ranked by times caught stealing.
Rogers Horsnby, Harry Heilmann, Joe Gordon, Carlton Fisk, Phil Rizzuto, Heinie Manush, Earl Averill, Ernie Banks, and Duke Snider.
How many of them would have been considered as one of the five best players in baseball for a stretch of five years? Hornsby, certainly. Banks and Snider and Harry Heilmann. Earl Averill, if we stretch it. Half of ‘em.
Another ten: Larry Doby, George Kell, Wade Boggs, Rick Ferrell, Jim Rice, Tony Perez, Stan Musial, Jackie Robinson, Sam Crawford, and Bill Dickey.
Only three could have considered the best player in baseball for a stretch of time: Boggs, Musial, and Robinson. Jim Rice, if you’re from Boston.
Bill’s first question reads as follows: “Was he ever regarded as the best player in baseball? Did anybody, while he was active, ever suggest that he was the best player in baseball?”
That’s a tough standard: most Hall-of-Fame players don’t meet that standard, not for more than a year or two. Dale Murphy did: for five years he was one of the very best players in baseball. For me, that’s enough to get a vote.
(Dave Fleming is a writer soon-leaving Iowa City. He welcomes comments, questions, and suggestions on where to find good Red Sox bars in Chicago, both here and at dfleming1986@yahoo.com.)