Dale Murphy, baseball player, 398 home runs, 1976-1993

Dale Murphy

Born: 3/12/1956 in Portland, OR, USA

MLB Debut: 1976-09-13 | Final Game: 1993-05-21

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 210 lbs

Full name: Dale Bryan Murphy

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Biography

Dale Murphy was a prominent American baseball player whose career spanned from 1976 to 1993. Known for his formidable presence as a position player, Murphy played in a total of 2,180 games, accumulating 2,111 hits and 398 home runs. His impressive offensive output also included 1,266 RBIs and a batting average of .265, alongside 161 stolen bases. Murphy's playing style combined power with speed, making him a dual threat on the field and a fan favorite during his tenure. A two-time National League MVP and a seven-time All-Star selection, Murphy played the majority of his career with the Atlanta Braves, where he became synonymous with the franchise in the 1980s. His contributions were particularly significant during an era marked by the transition from the deadball era to a more offensively driven game, as he showcased his ability to excel in both hitting and base-running. Dale Murphy's legacy endures as one of the game's greats, and he remains a beloved figure in baseball history, celebrated for his sportsmanship and community involvement beyond the diamond.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2180 7960 1197 2111 350 39 398 1266 161 986 1748 0.265 0.346 0.469 0.815 24221.7

Career AVG .265 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .346 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — +6.5% above league average.

Career SLG .469 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — +21.1% above league average.

Career OPS 0.815 vs. league average 0.712 across their career seasons — +14.4% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1976 ATL NL 19 65 3 17 6 0 0 9 0 7 9 0.262 .255 (+2%) .320 (+4%) .360 (-2%) .681 (+1%) 15.6
1977 ATL NL 18 76 5 24 8 1 2 14 0 0 8 0.316 .264 (+20%) .329 (-4%) .401 (+31%) .730 (+15%) 145.1
1978 ATL NL 151 530 66 120 14 3 23 79 11 42 145 0.226 .257 (-12%) .323 (-12%) .378 (+4%) .702 (-3%) -485.6
1979 ATL NL 104 384 53 106 7 2 21 57 6 38 67 0.276 .265 (+4%) .329 (+3%) .397 (+18%) .727 (+11%) 802.4
1980 ATL NL 156 569 98 160 27 2 33 89 9 59 133 0.281 .264 (+6%) .326 (+7%) .387 (+31%) .714 (+20%) 2282.0
1981 ATL NL 104 369 43 91 12 1 13 50 14 44 72 0.247 .255 (-4%) .320 (+2%) .368 (+6%) .688 (+4%) 307.6
1982 ATL NL 162 598 113 168 23 2 36 109 23 93 134 0.281 .261 (+8%) .324 (+17%) .388 (+30%) .712 (+24%) 3181.4
1983 ATL NL 162 589 131 178 24 4 36 121 30 90 110 0.302 .260 (+16%) .324 (+21%) .389 (+39%) .714 (+31%) 3878.9
1984 ATL NL 162 607 94 176 32 8 36 100 19 79 134 0.290 .259 (+12%) .322 (+15%) .384 (+42%) .707 (+30%) 3673.4
1985 ATL NL 162 616 118 185 32 2 37 111 10 90 141 0.300 .257 (+17%) .323 (+20%) .390 (+38%) .714 (+30%) 3898.1
1986 ATL NL 160 614 89 163 29 7 29 83 7 75 141 0.265 .257 (+3%) .325 (+6%) .395 (+21%) .720 (+14%) 1808.8
1987 ATL NL 159 566 115 167 27 1 44 105 16 115 136 0.295 .262 (+12%) .331 (+26%) .415 (+40%) .746 (+33%) 4446.4
1988 ATL NL 156 592 77 134 35 4 24 77 3 74 125 0.226 .254 (-11%) .317 (-2%) .377 (+11%) .695 (+5%) 611.9
1989 ATL NL 154 574 60 131 16 0 20 84 3 65 142 0.228 .254 (-10%) .319 (-4%) .375 (-4%) .694 (-4%) -412.2
1990 ATL NL 97 349 38 81 14 0 17 55 9 41 84 0.232 .257 (-10%) .324 (-4%) .385 (+9%) .710 (+3%) 170.1
1990 PHI NL 57 214 22 57 9 1 7 28 0 20 46 0.266 .257 (+3%) .324 (+1%) .385 (+8%) .710 (+5%) 170.1
1991 PHI NL 153 544 66 137 33 1 18 81 1 48 93 0.252 .255 (-2%) .323 (-4%) .384 (+8%) .708 (+2%) 100.3
1992 PHI NL 18 62 5 10 1 0 2 7 0 1 13 0.161 .255 (-37%) .322 (-46%) .377 (-27%) .699 (-36%) -368.8
1993 COL NL 26 42 1 6 1 0 0 7 0 5 15 0.143 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 11 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.273

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1982 NLCS ATL 3 11 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.273

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 209 201 1842 135 35 146
C 85 77 424 52 17 4
OF 1853 1829 4053 113 71 22

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1976 ATL C 19 17 100 13 3 0
1977 ATL C 18 17 114 11 6 2
1978 ATL 1B 129 125 1137 92 20 84
1978 ATL C 21 16 83 13 3 0
1979 ATL 1B 76 75 685 42 15 61
1979 ATL C 27 27 127 15 5 2
1980 ATL 1B 1 1 10 1 0 0
1980 ATL OF 154 150 374 14 6 4
1981 ATL 1B 3 0 10 0 0 1
1981 ATL OF 103 99 254 11 5 4
1982 ATL OF 162 161 407 6 9 2
1983 ATL OF 160 158 373 10 6 0
1984 ATL OF 160 160 369 10 5 1
1985 ATL OF 161 161 334 8 7 4
1986 ATL OF 159 159 303 6 6 1
1987 ATL OF 159 159 325 14 8 1
1988 ATL OF 156 155 340 15 3 4
1989 ATL OF 151 151 331 5 5 0
1990 ATL OF 97 94 208 3 4 0
1990 PHI OF 55 53 113 4 1 1
1991 PHI OF 147 141 287 6 5 0
1992 PHI OF 16 17 19 0 1 0
1993 COL OF 13 11 16 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 85
First Base 209
Left Field 101
Center Field 1041
Right Field 749

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1988 Roberto Clemente Award
1986 Gold Glove OF
1986 Player of the Month August
1985 Gold Glove OF
1985 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1985 Player of the Month April
1985 Player of the Week Week of 1985-04-12
1985 Silver Slugger OF
1985 TSN All-Star OF
1984 Gold Glove OF
1984 Player of the Month September
1984 Silver Slugger OF
1984 TSN All-Star OF
1983 Gold Glove OF
1983 Most Valuable Player
1983 Player of the Month September
1983 Player of the Week Week of 1983-09-02
1983 Silver Slugger OF
1983 TSN All-Star OF
1983 TSN Player of the Year
1982 Gold Glove OF
1982 Most Valuable Player
1982 Player of the Month April
1982 Player of the Week Week of 1982-06-11
1982 Silver Slugger OF
1982 TSN All-Star OF
1982 TSN Player of the Year
1980 Player of the Month August
1979 Player of the Week Week of 1979-05-18

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1993 COL NL $200,000
1992 PHI NL $2,500,000
1991 PHI NL $2,500,000
1990 ATL NL $2,000,000
1989 ATL NL $2,000,000
1988 ATL NL $2,000,000
1987 ATL NL $1,925,000
1986 ATL NL $1,825,000
1985 ATL NL $1,625,000
Total Career Earnings $16,575,000

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1987 Most Valuable Player NL 11th 34.0 336 0
1986 Most Valuable Player NL 21th 2.0 336 0
1985 Most Valuable Player NL 7th 63.0 336 0
1984 Most Valuable Player NL 9th 52.0 336 0
1983 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 318.0 336 21
1982 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 283.0 336 14
1980 Most Valuable Player NL 12th 23.0 336 0