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Sunday, May 06, 2007

Dale Murphy

Eligible in 1999.

John (You Can Call Me Grandma) Murphy Posted: May 06, 2007 at 06:04 PM | 30 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
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Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.

   1. John (You Can Call Me Grandma) Murphy Posted: May 06, 2007 at 06:06 PM (#2355958)
If he's inducted, I think we can all agree that he would have the best surname, bar none.
   2. Dr. Chaleeko Posted: May 06, 2007 at 06:38 PM (#2356030)
If he somehow stayed at C, he'd be a shoo-in. Instead he's a little below the borderline for me as centerrightfielder.
   3. Juan V Posted: May 06, 2007 at 06:44 PM (#2356037)
Hmmmmm.... I haven't taken a full look, but to me the problem is too much RF and not enough CF.
   4. John (You Can Call Me Grandma) Murphy Posted: May 06, 2007 at 06:59 PM (#2356064)
Hmmmmm.... I haven't taken a full look, but to me the problem is too much RF and not enough CF.


Andre Dawson says hello, too.
   5. Pasta-diving Jeter (jmac66) Posted: May 06, 2007 at 07:53 PM (#2356193)
OPS+ starting at age 26

142,150,149,151,120,156 (then) 105,88,98,103

like I said about Robbie Alomar, think Wily Coyote holding an anvil
   6. AJMcCringleberry Posted: May 06, 2007 at 08:11 PM (#2356236)
If he's inducted, I think we can all agree that he would have the best surname, bar none.

My surname will never be inducted. My first name won't be inducted until Mr. Gwynn.
   7. Juan V Posted: May 06, 2007 at 08:29 PM (#2356278)
Well, in that case, too bad Manny Trillo doesn't get any votes. But, for first names, I've already got Marichal. Middle names.... is there a chance for Vicente Padilla to get in? :)
   8. TomH Posted: May 06, 2007 at 08:30 PM (#2356280)
my surname has a truly long shot which could begin soon if the Nationals call him up and give him a start. Go Joel! :)
   9. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: May 07, 2007 at 05:35 AM (#2356834)
If only he had taken steroids.
   10. Dr. Chaleeko Posted: May 07, 2007 at 01:06 PM (#2356938)
My surname will never be inducted. My first name won't be inducted until Mr. Gwynn.

Yeah, well, the waiting line for Hall of Fame/Merit Chaleks isn't exactly filling up.
   11. Mark Shirk (jsch) Posted: May 07, 2007 at 03:34 PM (#2357121)
I feel ya Eric.
   12. jimd Posted: May 07, 2007 at 10:41 PM (#2357685)
Pinch, two things:

1) Are those quotes park-adjusted?

2) About 50-60 "years" ago there was another person who deluged us with wonderful quotes about Wes Ferrell. I think it might have hurt Ferrell's candidacy, at least for a while. While we love baseball information, a "hard sell" campaign might turn off some voters.

Postscript: that other person joined the electorate and was a very interesting contributor for a number of elections. Consider doing that yourself if you have the inclination. The more the merrier.
   13. Jose Canusee Posted: May 08, 2007 at 09:37 PM (#2358696)
I have probably long ago lost the photograph but I had taken a picture of him signing autographs before a game. In those pre-electronic days I had to look at his uniform to ensure the photo was correct because he was signing left-handed. Probably practiced it for awhile so he could sign a lot without tiring his right hand.
   14. DavidFoss Posted: May 08, 2007 at 09:53 PM (#2358708)
Hard to believe, but we won't have a David until Winfield.
   15. OCF Posted: May 08, 2007 at 10:16 PM (#2358731)
My surname will never be inducted - no major league players share it. If you break it into two independent pieces, neither half has a chance. My first name is the first name of several very good players, although none them is likely to be inducted. However, my first name is a portion of the seldom-used full first name of one already inducted HoMer, and is the surname of an active player who may have a chance.
   16. sunnyday2 Posted: May 08, 2007 at 11:05 PM (#2358800)
All-time CF, approximately, retired only, according to Reputation Monitor.

200 is usually a slam dunk for Cooperstown

1. Cobb 418
2. Mays 411
3. Speaker 376
4. Mantle 368
5. DiMaggio 328
6. Snider 249
7. Puckett 211--this is called the Reputation Monitor, with all the caveats

Lots of 175-199 guys make the HoF too, unless they don't (all generalizations moot for 19C and the modern era)

8. Dawson 196--this list is a few years old, he might slide based on failure to make HoF yet
9. Hamilton 195
10. Browning 187
11. Hines 186
12. Carey 176
13. Wilson 176
14. Gore 175

Most 150-175 guys don't make it unless they do and, well, more CFers do than other positions

15. Doby 173
16. Duffy 170
17. Murphy 168
18. Averill 168--Murphy by a fraction
19. Ashburn 162
20. Berger 155
21. Lynn 154

A sampling of <150 guys: Bad HoFers Combs 120 and L. Waner 91, candidates Pinson 148 and Wynn 133 and GVH 136 and Ryan 126, non-candidates Cedeno 144 and Eric Davis 140 and Willie Davis 111, and there are bunches of guys in and amongst and between there.

Bottom line: All bets are off for the modern era--players active after 1970. Murphy is in an excellent position except that there's this god-awful bias against his kind. He's not gonna make Cooperstown, at least not via the BBWAA. He's a clear candidate in the HoM but not better than Dawson IMO and border-borderline to boot.

(I don't ballot based on RM, just create consideration sets.)
   17. Dr. Chaleeko Posted: May 09, 2007 at 01:01 AM (#2358913)
the surname of an active player who may have a chance.

Wow OCF's first name is Matsuzaka! That's wild.
   18. OCF Posted: May 09, 2007 at 04:45 AM (#2359100)
Pffffffthh!
   19. DCW3 Posted: May 09, 2007 at 07:07 AM (#2359148)
However, my first name is a portion of the seldom-used full first name of one already inducted HoMer, and is the surname of an active player who may have a chance.

Nice to meet you, Kent.
   20. OCF Posted: May 09, 2007 at 07:25 AM (#2359155)
:)

Yeah, the group of Bottenfield, Mercker, Tekulve, and Hrbek seems unlikely to produce any HoMers. But Kenton Lloyd Boyer ...
   21. DanG Posted: May 09, 2007 at 12:51 PM (#2359208)
OCF: My surname will never be inducted

What about Old Hoss Radbourn? ;-)
   22. TomH Posted: May 09, 2007 at 01:08 PM (#2359224)
(non-baseball post)
by the way, you can look at
http://hamrick.com/names/
to find a graphic look at surname distribution in the USA at various points in history

unique surnames (like Eric's) will not show up tho
   23. Dr. Chaleeko Posted: May 09, 2007 at 01:41 PM (#2359255)
unique surnames (like Eric's) will not show up tho

Come on there are at least fifty Chaleks in the U.S., this is an outrage!

Well, but at least I'm not named Matsuzaka Chalek....
   24. DanG Posted: May 09, 2007 at 02:19 PM (#2359296)
If you like Win Shares, Murphy has a pretty impressive prime from 1980-87 (adj 1981 for strike):

1980 28
1981 20
1982 32
1983 32
1984 33
1985 31
1986 22
1987 29
ave. 28.4
   25. TomH Posted: May 09, 2007 at 02:58 PM (#2359335)
The above is helped by incredible durability (how long was his games played streak?).

His record is a bit less impressive if you use WS above bench, or above average.

Still, his preak/prime is very nice.
   26. Paul Wendt Posted: May 09, 2007 at 03:57 PM (#2359389)
Kent??

I was working on Harold Traynor, but we haven't elected him yet, and wondering whether Albert Spalding is little used, but Jared Burton doesn't yet look like a good candidate.

If anyone here is named Tram Tickets, feel free to make something of Tristram Speaker and Alan Trammell.

--

Oh, yes, Dale Murphy, a fine prime. If he could catch flies with Dwayne he would be "n-b".
   27. andrew siegel Posted: May 26, 2007 at 08:42 AM (#2379518)
The first of four seemingly dissimilar candidates who have impressive and surpisingly similar 6-year peaks hidden in careers with very different amounts of padding. The others are Will Clark, Albert Belle, and Sammy Sosa. I think that Clark is the best of those canidates and Belle the worst, but the similarities are notable.
   28. Devin has a deep burning passion for fuzzy socks Posted: May 28, 2007 at 02:30 AM (#2380964)
At one point during the rain delay at the Indy 500 today, Brent Musberger, apropos of nothing, said "According to the Census, Smith is the most popular last name in America. But no one named Smith has ever started in the Indy 500." Then they thankfully went to commercial while I practically fell out of my chair laughing.

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