Murphy was drafted back in 1973, and he came up in 1978, though in the 60 Games he played only saw him bat under .200. The A’s did not give up on him, and he became the starting Centerfielder in 1979, and in 1980, he would win his first of six straight Gold Gloves. Murphy would bat behind his outfield mate, Rickey Henderson, and he was able to utilize string plate discipline to help move Henderson (or allow him to steal).
Murphy would only bat .247 for Oakland, but his On Base Percentage was a respectable .353, and he would show decent power with three 20 Home Run seasons. With Oakland, he would have 999 Hits with 153 Home Runs, and while he was not a member of the Pennant winning teams of the late 80s, he helped to set the table for that success.
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