Baltimore Orioles All-Time 25-Man Roster
Eddie Murray (with Orioles from 1977-1988 & 1996)
.294/.370/.498, 1884 G, 8053 PA, 139 OPS+ (with Orioles)
The Orioles drafted Murray in the third round of the 1973 amateur draft. After four years in the minor leagues, he came up to the big leagues and started a long string of consistently good seasons. He won the AL Rookie of the Year Award with a 27-homer, 88-RBI season that would be the blueprint for most of his career. Murray was one of the most consistent players in baseball in the 1970s and 80s.
In his first twelve years in the major leagues, Murray’s average season consisted of 152 games played, 649 plate appearances, 87 runs scored, 28 homers, and 99 RBI. He hit .295/.371/.500 over this stretch, was a seven-time all-star, and finished in the top five in MVP voting five straight years. He was a guy you put in the lineup at the beginning of the year and didn’t have to worry about for the next six months.
The Orioles made the post-season twice during Murray’s initial 12-year run with the team. In 1979, they beat the California Angles in the ALCS, with Murray hitting .417/.588/.667. In the World Series, they jumped out to a three games to one lead, but were swept in the final three games by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
This World Series changed Murray. He had always been an introvert. He wasn’t flashy, didn’t crave the headlines, didn’t want the spotlight shined on him. He was consistent, steady, and workmanlike. In the Orioles’ Game 1 victory, Murray was 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored. The Orioles lost Game 2, but Murray was 3-for-3 with a walk, a home run, and two RBI.
Dick Young of the New York Daily News wrote an article about Murray after Game 2. It was a positive piece for the most part, but there was a section about Murray’s family that would greatly affect Murray’s relationship with the media for the rest of his career. As Joe Posnanski writes here, Young wrote that Eddie Murray’s family badly mistreated Orioles scout Ray Poitevint, the man who offered Murray his first pro contract. Young wrote, “(Poitevint) offers $20,000. He gets cursed at. He leaves. He goes back. He is called a thief, kicked out. This was by Ed Murray’s older brothers. They and Ed Murray’s mother do all the talking. Ed Murray, 17, just sits there, listening, not saying a word.” He also wrote that Poitevint claimed one of Murray’s brothers tried to run him over with a car.
This article was very upsetting to Murray. He felt like he’d been ambushed. He went 0-for-21 after the Dick Young story appeared during the World Series and the fans questioned his heart. From that point on, his relationship with the media was civil, but not friendly. He rarely talked to the press and didn’t say much when he did talk. It created a vicious cycle. The press would ask him questions, he would respond minimally, then they would write that he was angry and bitter. That just made him talk to them less and the cycle continued. He got a bad reputation with the media, which affected his relationship with some fans.
On the field, Murray continued to hit. He had one of his best seasons in 1983 when he hit .306/.393/.538, with 33 homers and 111 RBI. He was an all-star, a Silver Slugger, and a Gold Glove winner. He finished second to teammate Cal Ripken, Jr. in the voting for AL MVP. The Orioles made the post-season again that year. They took down the Chicago White Sox in the ALCS, then beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. Murray combined to hit .257/.333/.514 in nine post-season games.
Murray continued to hit with the Orioles, but the off-field relationship with upper management soured. After owner Edward Bennett Williams was quoted saying Murray needed to get in better shape, Murray wanted out of Baltimore. According to this article from the Baltimore Sun, Murray’s departure was ugly. Fans hurled racist insults and complained when he didn’t run out ground balls. They questioned his passion for the game. They didn’t think he hustled enough.
After a dismal 1988 season in which the Orioles went 54-107, Murray was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Juan Bell, Brian Holton, and Ken Howell. He played for the Dodgers for three years, then spent two years with the Mets. He played for Cleveland for two-plus years in the mid-1990s, including their World Series losing team in 1995. The Orioles brought him back during the 1996 season. In his final year, he played 46 games for the Angels and finished out his career with nine games with the Dodgers.
While he had an adversarial relationship with the media, Murray was well-liked by teammates. They admired the hard work he put in and the consistent production he provided to the team. Former teammate Mike Flanagan said of Murray, “He didn’t care to give up his little secrets.” He added, “He was the best clutch hitter that I saw during the decade we played together.”