The back: Murphy had 12 more walks than 2nd-place teammate Wayne Gross.
The player: Dwayne Murphy and Rickey Henderson came up together with the Oakland A's and made a terrific 1-2 punch at the top of the A's lineup, with Henderson getting on and stealing bases, and Murphy taking walks or driving Henderson in. As the 1980s progressed Murphy added power but lost patience at the plate, hitting more home runs but striking out more as well. He ended his career in 1989 after brief stints with the Tigers and Phillies. In 1,360 games Murphy hit .246 with 166 HR and 609 RBI.
The man: An avid musician, in the late 1980s Murphy and teammate Mike Davis funded the record label for a musically talented young former A's employee - MC Hammer. After his playing career, Murphy has had a long coaching career, currently a minor league coach in the Rangers organization.
My collection: I have 40 of his cards, from 1979 to 1989. I would be interested in trading for 1987 Donruss Opening Day #27.
I have autographs of Henderson, Murphy, and Davis.
ReplyDeleteDid not know Opening Day goes back that far.
I didn't know until very recently what a great defender he was. Didn't he win five consecutive Gold Gloves in the late '70s/early '80s?
ReplyDeleteI think I missed the memo about blogging about early 80's Athletics. First Night Owl featured Jeff Newman. Then Diamond Jesters wrote about Mike Heath. Now you're talking about Dwayne Murphy (and Rickey). I'm loving it.
ReplyDeleteThey must've made a mint during Hammer's early career. Hopefully they invested some of that.
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