Can a two-time MLB Most Valuable Player award winner, who batted-in 1,266 runs, tallied nearly 400 homers, and posted over 2,000 hits, while winning five Gold Glove Awards, four Silver Slugger Awards, and making seven All-Star Game appearances miss the Hall of Fame?
It appears so...
Former Atlanta Braves center fielder Dale Murphy participated in 15 Cooperstown National Baseball Hall of Fame ballots and was somehow ruled 'not worthy' to become a baseball 'immortal'.
"I thought I'd get more support over the course of the 15 years," Murphy said. "I got a significant percentage boost. I'm very thankful for that. It's really been a great experience the past month. The support from fans and the media, it all brought back great memories. I'm very thankful for that. I have no complaints. If I was sitting here at 65 percent, I'd say I'm disappointed. I can't lie to you. But it's been a great experience. It really has been. I feel very lucky to have been on the ballot for 15 years."
Murphy was draft as the fifth overall pick in the 1974 amateur draft. Throughout his 18 year career he posted 398 dingers, 2,111 hits, 2,266 RBIs, 1,197 runs, 161 stolen bases, 986 walks, and 350 doubles. He also batted with a .265 batting average, .346 OPS, and .469 OPS +.
Here are the results of the 2013 Hall of Fame ballot:
Player (Years on ballot) (Total Votes) (Percentage)
Craig Biggio (1) (388) (68.2)
Jack Morris (14) (385) (67.7)
Jeff Bagwell (3) (339) (59.6)
Mike Piazza (1) (57.8)
Tim Raines (6) (52.2)
Lee Smith (11) (47.8)
Curt Schilling (1) (221) (38.8)
Roger Clemens (1) (214) (37.6)
Barry Bonds (1) (36.2)
Edgar Martinez (4) (204) (35.9)
Alan Trammell (12) (191) (33.6)
Larry Walker (3) (123) (21.6)
Fred McGriff (4) (118) (20.7)
Dale Murphy (15) (106) (18.6)
Mark McGwire (7) (96) (16.9)
Don Mattingly (13) (75) (13.2)
Sammy Sosa (1) (12.5)
Rafael Palmeiro (3) (50) (8.8)
Bernie Williams (2) (19) (3.3)
Kenny Lofton (1) (18) (3.2)
Sandy Alomar Jr. (1) (16) (2.8)
Julio Franco (1) (6) (1.1)
David Wells (1) (0.9)
Steve Finley (1) (4) (0.7)
Shawn Green (1) (0.4)
Aaron Sele (1)
Jeff Cirillo (1)
Royce Clayton (1)
Jeff Conine (1)
Roberto Hernandez (1)
Ryan Klesko (1)
Jose Mesa (1)
Reggie Sanders (1)
Mike Stanton (1)
Todd Walker (1)
Rondell White (1)
Woody Williams (1)
If someone were to ask me, I'd tell them it is a complete joke to not have Dale Murphy as one of Cooperstown's newest enshrinees (which is where he should deservedly end up) especially when you have players that had a higher percentage of votes than Murphy (like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens) that were known for cheating and taking performance enhancing drugs.
It appears so...
Former Atlanta Braves center fielder Dale Murphy participated in 15 Cooperstown National Baseball Hall of Fame ballots and was somehow ruled 'not worthy' to become a baseball 'immortal'.
"I thought I'd get more support over the course of the 15 years," Murphy said. "I got a significant percentage boost. I'm very thankful for that. It's really been a great experience the past month. The support from fans and the media, it all brought back great memories. I'm very thankful for that. I have no complaints. If I was sitting here at 65 percent, I'd say I'm disappointed. I can't lie to you. But it's been a great experience. It really has been. I feel very lucky to have been on the ballot for 15 years."
Murphy was draft as the fifth overall pick in the 1974 amateur draft. Throughout his 18 year career he posted 398 dingers, 2,111 hits, 2,266 RBIs, 1,197 runs, 161 stolen bases, 986 walks, and 350 doubles. He also batted with a .265 batting average, .346 OPS, and .469 OPS +.
Here are the results of the 2013 Hall of Fame ballot:
Player (Years on ballot) (Total Votes) (Percentage)
Craig Biggio (1) (388) (68.2)
Jack Morris (14) (385) (67.7)
Jeff Bagwell (3) (339) (59.6)
Mike Piazza (1) (57.8)
Tim Raines (6) (52.2)
Lee Smith (11) (47.8)
Curt Schilling (1) (221) (38.8)
Roger Clemens (1) (214) (37.6)
Barry Bonds (1) (36.2)
Edgar Martinez (4) (204) (35.9)
Alan Trammell (12) (191) (33.6)
Larry Walker (3) (123) (21.6)
Fred McGriff (4) (118) (20.7)
Dale Murphy (15) (106) (18.6)
Mark McGwire (7) (96) (16.9)
Don Mattingly (13) (75) (13.2)
Sammy Sosa (1) (12.5)
Rafael Palmeiro (3) (50) (8.8)
Bernie Williams (2) (19) (3.3)
Kenny Lofton (1) (18) (3.2)
Sandy Alomar Jr. (1) (16) (2.8)
Julio Franco (1) (6) (1.1)
David Wells (1) (0.9)
Steve Finley (1) (4) (0.7)
Shawn Green (1) (0.4)
Aaron Sele (1)
Jeff Cirillo (1)
Royce Clayton (1)
Jeff Conine (1)
Roberto Hernandez (1)
Ryan Klesko (1)
Jose Mesa (1)
Reggie Sanders (1)
Mike Stanton (1)
Todd Walker (1)
Rondell White (1)
Woody Williams (1)
If someone were to ask me, I'd tell them it is a complete joke to not have Dale Murphy as one of Cooperstown's newest enshrinees (which is where he should deservedly end up) especially when you have players that had a higher percentage of votes than Murphy (like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens) that were known for cheating and taking performance enhancing drugs.