Dale Murphy
DALE MURPHY was Baseball Todd's favorite player during the 1980s. Murphy, a native of Portland, Ore., originally signed with the Atlanta Braves as a catcher. But, at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, his lanky physique was more suited for outfield play. So, the Braves moved him to center field where he won five straight Gold Glove awards from 1982 to '86. In 1982, Murphy led the Braves to the National League West title and earned Most Valuable Player honors after hitting .281 with 36 homers, 113 runs scored, and a league-leading 109 runs batted in. In 1983, Murphy won his second consecutive MVP award by hitting .302 with another 36 homers, 131 runs scored, and a league-leading 121 RBI. In 1984 and '85, Murphy led the NL in home runs with 36 and 37, respectively. His career high in roundtrippers came in 1987, when he slammed 44 homers along with a .295 batting average, 105 ribbies, and 115 runs scored. In 1990, Murphy was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies and the seven-time NL all-star ended his career with the expansion Colorado Rockies in 1993. During the 1980s, Murphy established himself as one of the game's top sluggers as well as one of the game's most durable players - playing in 1,537 of Atlanta's 1,557 games. He ended his 18-year career with a .265 batting average, 398 homers, 1,197 runs scored and 1,266 RBI.
