If Dale Murphy played for the Yankees............

[SAllen2556]

Originally Posted by mortimer brewster

Blyleven holds the major League record for winning the most 1-0 games (15) more than anyone in the history of MLB except the Big Train.

He also lost nine 1-0 games.

Jack Morris and Bert Blyleven get little respect from fans in regards to the Hall of Fame. They were both money pitchers in the post season and compiled outstanding regular season records compared to their peers.

I would be very comfortable having to rely on either one to be my starting pitcher in the seventh game of the World Series.

Could you say the same for hofers like Kaat, Niekro, Bunning and Sutton?

As a lifetime Tiger fan I would take Jack Morris for game 7 over Justin Verlander. But is he a hall-of-fame pitcher? I don't know. I'd actually take Mickey Lolich over Jack Morris for a big game, but he's nowhere near considered a hall of famer.

I'm fine with Blyleven in the hall; it's just that watching him over his career he never seemed to be considered in the same league as guys like Carlton, Seaver, and even Jim Palmer. But it was the same with Phil Niekro and Gaylord Perry. They never seemed like hall-of-famers either during their careers. It wasn't until they were done and you looked at their long careers and the stats they accumulated that they were considered elite.

And I'd be fine with Dale Murphy getting in. What's Jim Rice got that Dale Murphy hasn't got?

[Jim65]

Originally Posted by SAllen2556

What's Jim Rice got that Dale Murphy hasn't got?

A .298 lifetime batting average. That matters to a lot of voters.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Jim65

A .298 lifetime batting average. That matters to a lot of voters.

Right. Comparable power but Rice was a significantly better hitter.

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by Jim65

A .298 lifetime batting average. That matters to a lot of voters.

Also, 6 Top 5 MVP finishes.

Modern analytics don't quite appreciate Rice as much as people who actually watched him play. He was a high average power hitter, who for some reason, didn't really walk very much, which hurts a lot of his non-traditional stats.

In the AL East he was either the most feared hitter in the division or Top 3, for a good 10 years.

Unfortunately, his age 33 year was pretty much his last season as a serviceable player.

Murphy and Rice have an almost identical number of career plate appearances. Rice's offensive numbers (traditional and non-traditional) are better almost all the way across the board. Not a lot better....but better.

Murphy probably the better baserunner and Outfielder. For anybody who watched him play, Rice was no slouch in Left Field either. He learned to play that wall better then most I have seen out there over the years.

Both benefited pretty equally from favorable splits in their home parks.

Most amazing thing about Rice, that never made sense to me. He led the league in triples in 1978 with 15, and had nearly as many triples from 1976 to 1978 (38), as Dale Murphy had in his entire career (39).

All that said, I'd have no problem with Murphy eventually getting in the Hall of Fame just for his run from 1980 to 1987 as one of the most dynamic players in the game.

[Peter_Spaeth]

The biggest negative for me on Rice is he grounded into tons of double plays. And always, it seemed, at the worst times.

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

The biggest negative for me on Rice is he grounded into tons of double plays. And always, it seemed, at the worst times.

It was because he hit the ball so hard, and he liked to put the ball in play, rather then taking lots of walks. I don't think they really became a problem for him until around 1982.

I chalk that up to a few factors, but no, if wasn't always convenient for his team.