-Matthew McConkey
Well, who knows really. One factor that may have contributed to Murphy not being elected was that during his time with the Atlanta Braves, the team was not based in a major market like Los Angeles, New York, or Boston. That truly hindered his status as one of the nationally known elites in MLB and caused him to fail at getting into the HOF...for now, as of 2025.
Critics often point out that he experienced a decline in production during his final six seasons. During this span from 1988-1993, Murphy's numbers paled in comparison to his prime years. He posted a .234 BA, 88 HRs, and 339 RBIs in this stretch, which hampered any sort of consideration for the Hall. Very few players in MLB don't have a drop-off in production in their later years. This raises the question: Should outstanding players who experience a drop-off in performance after ten or twelve seasons of their careers be penalized? My answer is NO.
However, I would like to make the case for Murphy, who never received more than 23.2% of the vote while on the HOF ballot from 1999-2013. A player should not be judged on their final years of play since nearly every player (save for the rare ones who leave on top) has a cavernous drop-off in numbers. Time catches up with everyone, and skills do diminish. It happens to the best of them.
It's advantageous to review these types of players. I always have two questions when discussing players such as Murphy: One, how popular were they in the era they played in? Two, how good were they in that era (an era can mean 10-12 seasons).
Murphy was extremely popular during the 1980s as he was the franchise face of the Atlanta Braves, who had gained a nationwide following thanks to Ted Turner's TBS Superstation. Baseball fans all over the country who had cable could sit down and watch a Braves game and see how good Murphy was. In the 1980s, he was one of the most popular players in baseball and was an absolute dynamo who could run, play defense and hit.
How good was Murphy during the ten seasons from 1980-1989?
* 7 AS Game selections in the 1980s
* Was twice named the National League Most Valuable Player in 1982 and 1983
* Had 929 RBIs during the 1980s, second to Eddie Murray's 996
* Had 308 HRs during the 1980s, second to Mike Schmidt's 313
* 100+ RBIs in 5 different seasons in the 1980s
* 30+ HRs in 6 different seasons in the 1980s
* 5-time Gold Glove winner in the 1980s
* 4-time Silver Slugger in the 1980s
* Had .852 OPS during the 1980s
* Played in 1,537 games during the 1980s
* Had 1,553 hits in the 1980s, the 5th most in the decade
Murphy's resume speaks for itself, and had he played in a much larger market, we would not be having this discussion. Would he have been a first-ballot HOFer? No, but he should have secured the votes (75%) to get in before his name was taken off. And what a travesty that the Veterans committee didn't elect him...yet.
The game has undergone significant changes over the years. Gone are the old standard benchmarks of 500 HRs, 3,000 hits, and 1,500 RBIs that would grant you entry into Cooperstown. As for this writer, a player should be judged not on their first two seasons and last three, but rather on the ten years in between, because that is where the accurate metric of how good a player is lies.
In Murphy's case, from the 1980s, when he was 24-33, he was a powerhouse and is a forgotten great of the decade who should be in the Hall of Fame.
Dale Murphy Stats
