Hall of Fame Poll: Dale Murphy

Dale Murphy is another that looked like a sure Hall of Fame choice, in the middle of his career, but his numbers fell off a cliff soon after he turned 30. He came up as a catcher for the Braves, but he wasn't very good behind the plate. They moved him to first base then center field where he became a Gold Glover. He won NL MVP awards in 1982 and 83 and got votes several other years. He played in 7 All-Star games, won 5 Gold Gloves and 4 Silver Sluggers. He led the league in homers and RBI a couple of times. He played every game for 4 straight seasons, 1982-1985.

Murphy had a career line of .265/.346/.469 with 398 home runs, 1266 RBI and 161 stolen bases. For a few years he was thought of as the best player in baseball, but injuries slowed him.

I think this is Dale's last time on the ballot. Last year he was on 14.5% of the ballots, his high water mark was 23.2% his second time on the ballot.