A Case For Cooperstown: Why Dale Murphy Belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame

As I sat down to write this, I wondered to myself, “What else can I possibly say about Dale Murphy that hasn’t been said by scores of baseball luminaries, fans, peers, media and even his own family?”

It was a daunting question at first – one that felt like a very specific form of writer’s block.

But upon reflection, the question itself reminded me that the essence of this entire push for Murphy’s enshrinement in Cooperstown is the direct result of his decades long legacy that is rooted in many, if not most, of the best things the game has to offer.

From Catcher to Center Field: The Position Change That Changed Everything

Let's start with the story of the superstar player who almost wasn’t.

Murphy was drafted by the Braves in 1974, just two months after Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record. At the time, Murphy was a lanky catching prospect with a good bat. That bat quickly carried him to the major leagues in September of 1976, but it became evident rather quickly that his time behind the plate was a dead end.

When defensive struggles got the best of him after a couple of seasons, Murphy moved to first base. By the end of 1979, he’d accrued a -0.8 career WAR in 1,160 plate appearances as he headed into his age-24 season. It was a make-or-break season for a man seemingly without a position play.

It was at that time that a future Hall of Fame manager believed enough in this former catcher to try him in center field of all places. Bobby Cox's gambit opened up an unorthodox path to stardom. It was that position switch that helped Murphy unlock his significant talents as a major leaguer.

1980s Dominance: MVPs and Powerful Peak

Over the next eight seasons, Murphy matured into one of the game’s biggest stars and most popular players as he slashed .284/.374/.517 and averaged 33 home runs, 96 RBIs, 100 runs scored and 16 stolen bases annually while accruing a 42.4 WAR according to Baseball Reference and 39.9 WAR per FanGraphs. That breaks down to a 5.0 WAR player per season.

During that eight-year peak run, Murphy appeared in seven All-Star games, won five Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers. Murphy won back-to-back MVP awards in 1982 and 1983, becoming just the ninth player in MLB history to win the award in consecutive seasons. He was also one of just 12 players to hit 40 or more home runs in a season during the entire decade of the 1980s when he cracked a career-high 44 in 1987, his last great year.

For a catcher-turned-first-baseman-turned-outfielder, that was quite the come up. It was no surprise that his outstanding all-around play caught the attention of his peers, like the future Hall of Famer, Andre Dawson.

"If you can't be impressed by Murph, you can't be impressed,” Dawson said of the challenge of changing positions and finding stardom. “He started out as a catcher a few years back and ends up in center field with a Gold Glove. You've got to appreciate that kind of talent."

That talent Dawson spoke of was on display for much of the 1980s, but in addition to the hardware Murphy collected for his on-field accomplishments, he received the Roberto Clemente Award in 1988 for his stellar contributions to the game of baseball both on and off the field.

Dale Murphy: Superstar of the Superstation

It was amidst all of the accolades that Murphy unassumingly built a reputation as a wholesome role model in a decade of baseball that was at times dragged down by vices, excesses and controversies.

Through the wonders of Ted Turner’s Superstation TBS, Murphy was practically anointed as one of the most popular players in the game. Because the Atlanta Braves were Turner’s property and a programming fixture on his network, their games were broadcast coast to coast. That truly unique set of circumstances laid the groundwork for generations of Braves fans hailing from all across the country.

TBS created a rare case where a player – and a team – could gain fanfare far beyond their own, market, city, state, or even region. The Braves became, in effect, America’s Team – at least the baseball version of it – for decades.

And it was Murphy who was the star of that show year after year – The Superstar of the Superstation.

The legendary Hank Aaron, who returned to the Braves in an executive capacity after retiring as a player with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1976, was among the many impressed with the Braves budding superstar.

"He's probably the best all-around player in either league, probably the most valuable player in baseball right now," Aaron said following Murphy’s first MVP campaign in 1982.

Aaron should know a thing or two about winning the MVP award as he was the last Brave to do so before Murphy captured the honor in consecutive seasons, doing so in 1957.

As most observers undoubtedly know by now, the Braves were admittedly not a great baseball team for much of Murphy’s career. They started to piece things together just as Cox was dismissed after the 1981 season and Joe Torre took over as manager. Atlanta was on the cusp of turning the corner, but Torre’s first season saw them win the NL West division title and make the postseason for the first time since 1969.

That would, unfortunately, be the lone time Murphy appeared in the playoffs. He batted .273 in 11 plate appearances as the Braves lost to the eventual world champion St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series.

While Torre led the club's turnaround, he also poured into Murphy on the hitting front and encouraged his base-stealing. As a result, Murphy became just the sixth player in MLB history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season, doing so in 1983 en route to his second MVP award.

Unfortunately, Torre's time at the helm of the Braves was relatively brief due to Turner’s impetuous nature when it came to changing managers throughout his tenure as owner.

Across three seasons, Torre bonded with Murphy and developed a healthy respect from not only the completeness of his all-around game, but Murphy's dedication to the team, the community and his family. Torre offered perhaps the most apt of all descriptions of his superstar center fielder:

"If you're a coach, you want him as a player. If you're a father, you want him as a son. If you're a woman, you want him as a husband. If you're a kid, you want him as a father. What else can you say about the guy?"

While that accomplishment and ones far beyond 30-30 have become more commonplace in the decades that followed, Murphy was one of just six players to post such a season in the 1980s. Though 30-30 eventually gave way to 40-40 and even 50-50 in recent years, it is important to place Murphy's accomplishment into the context of its time.

Most Durable Player of the Decade

Not only was Murphy doing unique things, but he was also an uncommonly durable player during his peak years.

Beginning in 1981, Murphy played in a Braves record 740 consecutive games. Even in a decade where a work stoppage erased 55 games from Atlanta’s schedule in 1981, Murphy averaged 154 games played from 1980-1989. No player in baseball appeared in more games during the 1980s than Murphy.

As a result, he led MLB with 2,796 total bases during the decade while finishing second in home runs with 308 – to Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt’s 313. Murphy and Schmidt were the only two players in baseball to hit 300 or more home runs during the 1980s.

In addition, Murphy was second in RBIs during the 1980s with 929. Only Hall of Famer Eddie Murray had more, with 996. It was a decade of well-rounded dominance which saw Murphy rank among the Top 5 in MLB in hits and runs scored as well.

Knee Injuries And The Beginning of The End

Murphy’s durability came at a cost, however. His knee issues, which began while still behind the plate as a young player, mounted as the decade went on. He underwent multiple surgeries yet continued to play 150 or more games year after year until the 1992 season while with Philadelphia.

At this point, I want to interject in order to stress what you're about to read. The end of Murphy's career is the part of the story that I don’t believe enough people have heard or understand enough about with respect to the aggressive nature of his knee injuries.

He did not just break down gradually. A series of events unfolded beginning in the winter after the 1991 season that essentially took away the final years of his active career. While he may or may not say it that way, I feel comfortable describing it as such.

Murphy was robbed of the opportunity to age gracefully.

While local and national newspapers covered what they could over 30 years ago, we have access to far more information in the modern game. It is almost instantaneous and the appetite for the story of virtually everything is fueled by social media and the enhanced digital coverage that has evolved since Murphy’s final curtain.

So what exactly happened to Murphy during his stint with the Philadelphia Phillies, the one that followed what was once an unthinkable trade out of Atlanta?

With his trademark earnestness, Murphy embraced the change of scenery and was hoping it would re-energize his career. He finished the 1990 season with the Phillies and then played 153 games in 1991, batting .252 with 18 home runs and 81 RBIs. He even cut his strikeout rate to a career-low 15.5 percent in his one full season in Philadelphia.

Little did anyone know that it would be the final uninterrupted season of his career.

That offseason, what was supposed to be a routine cleanup procedure on Murphy’s left knee set off a string of events that would bring about the end of his playing career over the course of the 18 months that followed. Murphy underwent that initial procedure in November of 1991. He reported for spring training in good sorts but the pain persisted and forced him to get a second operation in May of 1992.

It was that procedure which contributed heavily to the sudden end of his career.

“It was a nightmare,” Murphy recalled. “In 1992, in the winter and even going to spring training in Clearwater with the Phillies, I really felt like I was back. I really felt good, but I had my knee cleared out, some old scar tissue, etc. Somewhere along the line, I got staph infections. So, I went through about three or four knee drainings in spring training and it just puffed right back up.”

After playing through considerable discomfort to open the regular season, Murphy eventually had to seek further medical intervention and had another surgery in May of 1992.

The aftermath would alter his career.

“I told the trainer, ‘Something’s going on,’” Murphy said. “So, I missed that whole year, eventually. We’re pretty sure it was MRSA because the nature of the infection was so strong that I started six weeks, at home in Atlanta, on a PICC line – on an IV twice a day. (The infection) got into my blood. I had to have a transfusion. I was really sick. I was really, really sick. So, I was on the disabled list and it was obvious my knee was not going to get back to playing shape in 1992. I missed the rest of the year, was on the DL and just rehabbing in Atlanta.”

“It was a bad year, very depressing,” Murphy recollected. “I couldn’t get my knee feeling good and missed that year. In 1993, I went to spring training with the Phillies and I was a little gimpy. It was obvious I’d lost a step. It just was not working and the Phillies came to me and said, ‘We’re going to release you, but we’re also talking to Colorado. It’s their inaugural year. If they got a veteran name and you could go down there and have some fun, they’ll take you.’ So, that’s how I got to Colorado. I played a couple of months and my knee just wasn’t healthy enough for me to play.”

After being limited to just 18 games for the Phillies in 1992, Murphy officially signed with the Rockies just before opening day in 1993. He played 26 games for the Rockies and batted .143 as a part-time player before hanging up his spikes.

It is relatively easy to say in hindsight that if Murphy could not find success in the altitude of Colorado then he was well and truly finished. He even joked about not getting the two home runs he needed to reach the 400-homer plateau while playing there.

However, the full story of Murphy’s final two years in the majors is one of a series of knee injuries and a serious infection that conspired to send him into retirement just two months after his 37th birthday. It kept him from being able to tack on several more seasons of even average production by his standards and play until 40. Countless Hall of Famers get the opportunity to play on past their prime, a chance earned by being one of the best players in the sport for an extended period.

This was not the case for Murphy, however. The end came early and unfairly to one of baseball’s all-time great people.

Recontextualizing Dale Murphy's Legacy:

When he finished up with 398 home runs midway through the 1993 season, Murphy ranked 27th on baseball’s all-time list. It’s fair to say that injuries kept him away from 400 home runs, but the 1981 strike took away more than 50 games just as he was entering the prime of his career. It is not hard to imagine at least two more home runs coming back then.

Why does that matter so much, that home run milestone?

Well, hitting 400 career home runs is more than just a round number; it was all but a sure-fire ticket to Cooperstown at the time. Of the 27 players ahead of Murphy on the home run list at the time he retired, 25 were already or would eventually reach the Hall of Fame. Only Dave Kingman and Darrell Evans had more home runs than Murphy without receiving baseball’s most prestigious honor and neither possesses Murphy's extensive list of accolades.

In the decades that followed Murphy's career, the home run and all its milestones became much harder to properly contextualize thanks to the era of performance enhancing drugs. Though the game always evolves over time, the explosion of home runs in the 10 years immediately after Murphy’s retirement not only clouded the legacies of the players involved in those record-breaking totals and feats, but it simultaneously undermined the accomplishments of generations of players who came before them.

Despite the controversy, their Hall of Fame fate is now intertwined with scores of players who predate the "steroid era." Just one look at this year's Contemporary Era ballot paints the picture of the challenging task ahead of the 16-voter body comprised of Hall of Fame players, executives, and media members.

Murphy and any player on this ballot needs 12 votes to gain election, with voters capped at just three selections. Beyond that, the criteria calls for voters to consider on-field accomplishments as well as a player's character, integrity and sportsmanship. Murphy was a star in his time and checks all of those other boxes, but he is one of many players affected by a confluence of events that changed the way we as baseball fans, casual observers, media members, front office executives, and even players themselves view offensive greatness.

While it is a shame to have to question everything, this is ultimately the reality we live in. We seem to be left with more questions than answers over the past two decades. Those travails are ongoing and won't be solved here, obviously.

These kinds of things should not affect Murphy, who not only played the game with humility and respect, but strongly advocated for fair play after retiring. It should not affect him, but it does. And he is not alone in that.

Why Dale Murphy Belongs In Baseball's Hall of Fame

So, we arrive back at where we began, Murphy's latest opportunity to gain election to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He lasted 15 years on the BBWAA ballot and has been up for committee election twice before. In the spirit of No. 3, the uniform number he wore while starring for the Braves, perhaps the third time will be the charm.

I've said many times before, and will restate here, there is a saying in life about not meeting your heroes. That may be true, but if your hero is Dale Murphy, then you'll have the time of your life. The man they call "Murph" has been generous with his time throughout my career, making an effort to create a lasting friendship that extends beyond the roots of a boyhood hero.

Please understand, this is an uncommon man in all of the best possible ways.

Dale has been as gracious and gregarious as anyone I've ever met in baseball or in life, making time for anyone who wants to share a conversation or a memory, take a picture or get an autograph. He continues to pursue meaningful organizations and charities to be involved in. Murphy truly values the platform afforded by the fame of his playing career and remains steadfast in his efforts to parlay that notoriety into meaningful efforts to make a difference and improve the lives of everyone he comes in contact with.

With a vote for Murphy, this committee is afforded the opportunity to not only reward both a stellar playing career and a life in baseball but to recognize the extensive humanitarian work that deserves celebrating. It deserves honoring.

Because Dale Murphy is a Hall of Famer through and through.

Grant McAuley covers baseball for 92-9 The Game in Atlanta and is a writer for the Marietta Daily Journal. You can follow him on social media here.