Poor Dale Murphy On Hall Outs

Dale Murphy has always been a Hall of Fame conundrum. People like him.  He had some very special years in the majors. People want to vote for him. But then they look at his .265 lifetime batting average and the choice always comes up tails, he loses.

Murphy is still on the Hall of Fame ballot being considered by the Baseball Writers Association of America as members prepare their votes for the Dec. 31 deadline in choosing the 2012 class to be inducted at Cooperstown next July. But as popular a guy as he was when playing out his 18 Major League seasons, mostly with the Atlanta Braves, Murphy will fall short of election once again. Indeed, he will probably never be voted into the Hall.

Murphy broke into the majors with the Braves in 1976 and while he also played for the Phillies (1990-1992), and the Colorado Rockies (one year, his last, in 1993), he is most identified with Atlanta. Murphy’s career average is a weak point on his statistical resume and he rarely either hit. 300 or approached it in his long career. In fact, Murphy struck out nearly twice as many times as he walked (1,748 to 986).

Yet he did total 398 home runs, 2,111 hits, and knock in 1,266 runs in becoming a seven-time All-Star, a five-time Gold Glove winner, and a four-time Silver Slugger winner. Most significantly, Murphy won the National League Most Valuable Player award twice, in 1982 and 1983. He also was given the 1988 Roberto Clemente Award for his off-field community service, an award to be cherished.

In contrast to some athletes who get in trouble with the law or the league, Murphy proudly maintained a goody-goody image in accordance with his Mormon religious affiliation. Murphy did not drink. He notably would not even allow himself to be photographed with female fans who wanted to put an arm around him, and while he was generous to teammates in his willingness to pay dinner bills, he would not pay if alcoholic beverages were included. While other sports figures tied themselves to product endorsements of a wide variety, Murphy was linked only to such items as milk and ice cream.

Unlike some athletes who disdained the role of being a role model for youngsters, Murphy embraced it. He and his wife have eight children.

How much should living an exemplary life count for bonus points when considering a candidate for a sports Hall of Fame? We know that a convicted murderer would not be selected. We have seen cases where known users of performance enhancing drugs have virtually disqualified themselves despite far superior numbers than Murphy compiled.

There is ample evidence to suggest that Dale Murphy has Hall of Fame character. There is less supporting evidence to prove that he was a Hall of Fame ballplayer. Overall, he was very, very good. At his best, for selected periods of time, he was great. But as a catcher-first baseman-outfielder–especially an outfielder–Murphy needs a sturdier statistical base.

Another 25 home runs would have helped. Another 100 RBIs, too. But that .265 average hurts the most. I wonder if all his other credentials remained precisely the same, but if Murphy batted .300, that alone would have put him over the top before now, or even now. But he didn’t and that will haunt and hold back his candidacy.

Be sure to check out Lew’s other Hall of Fame profiles.