Baseball Hall of Fame Has No Excuse to Keep Dale Murphy Out Again This Year

If you lived through the era, you know that Atlanta Braves outfielder Dale Murphy was one of the very best players the 1980s had to offer. In fact, he has two NL MVP Awards to prove it.

There are some all-time greats who don't even have one MVP Award (Jim Thome, Tony Gwynn, and Wade Boggs, to name a few) who were surefire Hall of Famers as soon as they hit the ballot. Somehow, Murphy couldn't get more than 23% of the vote while he was eligible.

On Monday, Murphy was introduced as a member of the Modern Baseball Era ballot this year, and it's time for one of the best players of his generation to be celebrated in Cooperstown.

Over the course of his 18-year career, 15 with the Braves, Murphy tallied 2,111 career hits, 1,266 RBI and 398 home runs, while also being named a seven-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glover, four-time Silver Slugger and two-time MVP, honors which came in back-to-back years (1982 and 1983).

Maybe some of his counting numbers for an outfielder aren't up to snuff, but the man played the outfield, first base and catcher. How many players in the history of the game can say that?

Not every big leaguer has to be Babe Ruth or Willie Mays, but when you are considered one of the best in the generation you played in, it should count for something, especially in terms of your Hall of Fame candidacy.

There's no question that Murphy fits the criteria, and this should finally be the year he gets the call to Cooperstown.