Eddie Murray (2003)


Date of Birth: 2/24/1956
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
College: California State University, Los Angeles

Eddie Murray played organized baseball as a child, first on little league teams and later in high school. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 1973, and he played on their minor league teams through 1976.

Baltimore Orioles

In 1977, his first season in the major leagues, Murray won the American League Rookie of the Year award. That season he batted .283 with 173 hits, 29 doubles, 27 home runs, and 88 RBIs in 160 games. He walked 48 times and he struck out 104 times.

Murray played well again in 1978, batting .285 in 161 games. He had 174 hits, 32 doubles, 27 home runs, 95 RBIs, and 97 strikeouts to 70 walks. He was an excellent fielder, playing at first base for most of his career, and he led all AL players in putouts in 1978 with 1,507.

Murray continued to play well both offensively and defensively in 1979. He finished the season with 179 hits, 30 doubles, 25 home runs, 99 RBIs, and a .295 batting average in 159 games. He showed greater discipline at the plate, walking 72 times and striking out 78 times. Defensively, he again led the AL in putouts with 1,456.

Murray had a career high 186 hits in 158 games in 1980. He finished the season with 36 doubles, 32 home runs, 116 RBIs, 71 strikeouts to 54 walks, and a .300 batting average.

Murray led the AL in RBIs in the strike shortened 1981 season. He had 111 hits, 21 doubles, 22 home runs, 78 RBIs, and a .294 batting average in 99 games. Defensively, he led all AL first basemen in assists with 91.

In 1982, Murray won his first of three consecutive Gold Gloves, making just four errors that year. He had 97 assists, 106 defensive double plays, 1,269 putouts, and a .997 fielding percentage. He also had a strong season offensively, batting .316 with 174 hits, 30 doubles, 32 home runs, 110 RBIs, and 82 strikeouts to 70 walks in 151 games.

Murray won the first of three Silver Slugger awards in 1983. That season he batted .306 with 178 hits, 30 doubles, a career high 33 home runs, and 111 RBIs in 156 games. He walked 86 times and struck out 90 times.

Murray had an even stronger season in 1984. He won his second Silver Slugger award and he led the AL in games played, walks, and on-base-percentage. He had 180 hits, 26 doubles, 29 home runs, 110 RBIs, a .306 batting average, and an on-base percentage of .410 in a career high 162 games. He struck out 87 times and walked a career high 107 times. He won his third Gold Glove and he led the AL in putouts with 1,538. He also led AL first basemen in assists with 143 and in double plays turned with 152.

Murray had another good season in 1985, batting .297 in 156 games. He had career highs in doubles (37) and RBIs (124). He had 173 hits and 31 home runs, and he walked 84 times while striking out only 68 times. The following season, he batted .305 in 137 games. He had 151 hits, 25 doubles, 17 home runs, 84 RBIs, and 49 strikeouts to 78 walks in 1986.

Murray's batting average dropped to .277 in 1987. he had 171 hits, 28 doubles, 30 home runs, 91 RBIs, and 80 strikeouts to 73 walks in 160 games. Defensively, he led AL first basemen in double plays turned with 146. The following season was a similar one, with 171 hits, 27 doubles, 28 home runs, 84 RBIs, 78 strikeouts to 75 walks, and a .284 batting average in 161 games.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Although he played well for the Orioles, Murray was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in December, 1988. His batting average dropped to .247 in 1989. He had 147 hits, 29 doubles, 20 home runs, and 88 RBIs in 160 games. He played well defensively in 1989, leading NL first basemen in assists with 137 and in double plays turned with 122.

Murray bounced back strong in 1990, earning his third Silver Slugger award with a career high batting average of .330. He had 184 hits, 22 doubles, 26 home runs, and 95 RBIs in 155 games. He walked 82 times and struck out 64 times.

Murray had a disappointing 1991 season, batting just .260 in 153 games. He had 150 hits, 23 doubles, 19 home runs, and 96 RBIs. He walked 55 times and struck out 74 times.

New York Mets

Murray signed with the New York Mets prior to the 1992 season. In his first season with the Mets, he batted .261 in 156 games. He had 144 hits, a career high 37 doubles, 16 home runs, and 93 RBIs.

Murray had a better season in 1993, when he batted .285. He finished the season with 174 hits, 28 doubles, 27 home runs, and 100 RBIs in 154 games.

Cleveland Indians

After two full seasons with the Mets, Murray moved to the Cleveland Indians. He played in 108 games in 1994, and he batted .254 with 110 hits, 21 doubles, 17 home runs, and 76 RBIs.

Murray batted .323 in 113 games in 1995. He had 141 hits, 21 doubles, 21 home runs, and 82 RBIs.

Last Years as a Player

Murray was traded back to the Orioles on July 21, 1996. He finished the season with 147 hits, 21 doubles, 22 home runs, 79 RBIs, 87 strikeouts to 61 walks, and a .260 batting average in 88 games with the Indians and 64 games with the Orioles.

Murray became a free agent on November 18, 1996. He signed with the Los Angeles Angels exactly one month later. After 46 games with the Angels in 1997, he was released. He then signed with the Dodgers on August 20th, and he played in 9 games with them. He batted .281 with 37 hits in his final season as a major league player.

Awards and MLB Records

  • Gold Glove (3 times)
  • Silver Slugger award (3 times)
  • AL Rookie of the Year
  • Led AL in putouts (3 times)

Career Statistics

Batting statistics for Murray in 20 full seasons (1977-1996) in the major leagues include:

  • 14 seasons with 150 or more hits, with a high of 186 in 1980
  • 7 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 37 in 1985 and 1992
  • 16 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 33 in 1983
  • 6 seasons with 100 or more RBIs, with a high of 124 in 1985
  • 7 seasons with a batting average of .300 or better, with a high of .330 in 1990

Career batting statistics for Murray include:

  • 3,026 games played
  • 3,255 hits
  • 560 doubles
  • 504 home runs
  • 110 stolen bases
  • 1,917 RBIs
  • 1,516 strikeouts to 1,333 walks
  • .287 batting average
  • .359 on-base percentage
  • .835 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Murray at first base include:

  • 2,413 games played
  • 167 errors
  • 1,865 assists
  • 2,033 double plays
  • 21,255 putouts
  • .993 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Murray include:

  • 4 postseasons
  • 44 games played
  • 159 at-bats
  • 41 hits
  • 3 doubles
  • 1 triple
  • 9 home runs
  • 3 stolen bases
  • 25 RBIs
  • 27 strikeouts to 27 walks
  • .258 batting average

Post Playing Career

Murray was a hitting coach for the Indians from 2002 through 2005.

Murray was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2003 on the first ballot with 85.3% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Eddie Murray
ESPN - Eddie Murray
Baseball Reference - Eddie Murray

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