Dale Murphy
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1976-1993)
Dale Murphy was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1976 to 1993 for the Atlanta Braves, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Colorado Rockies, a span of 18 seasons. In 2,180 career games, he hit .265 with 2,111 hits, 398 home runs, and 1,266 RBI. Dale Murphy was a 7-time All-Star, a 2-time MVP, a 5-time Gold Glove, a 4-time Silver Slugger, and a Roberto Clemente Award. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 24,431.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'4" / 210 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1976-09-13
- Last Game
- 1993-05-21
- Awards
- 7× All-Star · 2× MVP · 5× Gold Glove · 4× Silver Slugger · Roberto Clemente Award
Full name: Dale Bryan Murphy
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,180 | 7,960 | 1,197 | 2,111 | 350 | 39 | 398 | 1,266 | 161 | 986 | 1,748 | .265 | .346 | .469 | .815 | 24,431 |
Career AVG .265 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .346 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — +6.5% above league average.
Career SLG .469 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — +21.1% above league average.
Career OPS .815 vs. league average .712 across their career seasons — +14.4% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | ATL | NL | 19 | 65 | 3 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 9 | .262 | .255 (+2%) | .320 (+4%) | .360 (-2%) | .681 (+1%) | 15.6 |
| 1977 | ATL | NL | 18 | 76 | 5 | 24 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 8 | .316 | .264 (+20%) | .329 (-4%) | .401 (+31%) | .730 (+15%) | 145.1 |
| 1978 | ATL | NL | 151 | 530 | 66 | 120 | 14 | 3 | 23 | 79 | 11 | 42 | 145 | .226 | .257 (-12%) | .323 (-12%) | .378 (+4%) | .702 (-3%) | -379.5 |
| 1979 | ATL | NL | 104 | 384 | 53 | 106 | 7 | 2 | 21 | 57 | 6 | 38 | 67 | .276 | .265 (+4%) | .329 (+3%) | .397 (+18%) | .727 (+11%) | 802.4 |
| 1980 | ATL | NL | 156 | 569 | 98 | 160 | 27 | 2 | 33 | 89 | 9 | 59 | 133 | .281 | .264 (+6%) | .326 (+7%) | .387 (+31%) | .714 (+20%) | 2282.0 |
| 1981 | ATL | NL | 104 | 369 | 43 | 91 | 12 | 1 | 13 | 50 | 14 | 44 | 72 | .247 | .255 (-4%) | .320 (+2%) | .368 (+6%) | .688 (+4%) | 307.6 |
| 1982 | ATL | NL | 162 | 598 | 113 | 168 | 23 | 2 | 36 | 109 | 23 | 93 | 134 | .281 | .261 (+8%) | .324 (+17%) | .388 (+30%) | .712 (+24%) | 3181.4 |
| 1983 | ATL | NL | 162 | 589 | 131 | 178 | 24 | 4 | 36 | 121 | 30 | 90 | 110 | .302 | .260 (+16%) | .324 (+21%) | .389 (+39%) | .714 (+31%) | 3878.9 |
| 1984 | ATL | NL | 162 | 607 | 94 | 176 | 32 | 8 | 36 | 100 | 19 | 79 | 134 | .290 | .259 (+12%) | .322 (+15%) | .384 (+42%) | .707 (+30%) | 3673.4 |
| 1985 | ATL | NL | 162 | 616 | 118 | 185 | 32 | 2 | 37 | 111 | 10 | 90 | 141 | .300 | .257 (+17%) | .323 (+20%) | .390 (+38%) | .714 (+30%) | 3898.1 |
| 1986 | ATL | NL | 160 | 614 | 89 | 163 | 29 | 7 | 29 | 83 | 7 | 75 | 141 | .265 | .257 (+3%) | .325 (+6%) | .395 (+21%) | .720 (+14%) | 1808.8 |
| 1987 | ATL | NL | 159 | 566 | 115 | 167 | 27 | 1 | 44 | 105 | 16 | 115 | 136 | .295 | .262 (+12%) | .331 (+26%) | .415 (+40%) | .746 (+33%) | 4446.4 |
| 1988 | ATL | NL | 156 | 592 | 77 | 134 | 35 | 4 | 24 | 77 | 3 | 74 | 125 | .226 | .254 (-11%) | .317 (-2%) | .377 (+11%) | .695 (+5%) | 611.9 |
| 1989 | ATL | NL | 154 | 574 | 60 | 131 | 16 | 0 | 20 | 84 | 3 | 65 | 142 | .228 | .254 (-10%) | .319 (-4%) | .375 (-4%) | .694 (-4%) | -320.7 |
| 1990 | ATL | NL | 97 | 349 | 38 | 81 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 55 | 9 | 41 | 84 | .232 | .257 (-10%) | .324 (-4%) | .385 (+9%) | .710 (+3%) | 170.1 |
| 1990 | PHI | NL | 57 | 214 | 22 | 57 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 28 | 0 | 20 | 46 | .266 | .257 (+3%) | .324 (+1%) | .385 (+8%) | .710 (+5%) | 170.1 |
| 1991 | PHI | NL | 153 | 544 | 66 | 137 | 33 | 1 | 18 | 81 | 1 | 48 | 93 | .252 | .255 (-2%) | .323 (-4%) | .384 (+8%) | .708 (+2%) | 100.3 |
| 1992 | PHI | NL | 18 | 62 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 13 | .161 | .255 (-37%) | .322 (-46%) | .377 (-27%) | .699 (-36%) | -356.9 |
| 1993 | COL | NL | 26 | 42 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 15 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 19 seasons | 2,180 | 7,960 | 1,197 | 2,111 | 350 | 39 | 398 | 1,266 | 161 | 986 | 1,748 | .265 | — | — | — | — | 24,435 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (2180 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1094 | 3921 | 636 | 1102 | 217 | 674 | .281 |
| Away | 1086 | 4039 | 561 | 1009 | 181 | 592 | .250 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-05-21 | COL | LAD | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1993-05-20 | COL | SDP | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1993-05-16 | COL | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993-05-15 | COL | CIN | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1993-05-13 | COL | SFG | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1993-05-12 | COL | SFG | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1993-05-10 | COL | SFG | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1993-05-09 | COL | ATL | L | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1993-05-08 | COL | ATL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1993-05-07 | COL | ATL | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 209 | 201 | 1842 | 135 | 35 | 146 |
| C | 85 | 77 | 424 | 52 | 17 | 4 |
| OF | 1853 | 1829 | 4053 | 113 | 71 | 22 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | ATL | C | 19 | 17 | 100 | 13 | 3 | 0 |
| 1977 | ATL | C | 18 | 17 | 114 | 11 | 6 | 2 |
| 1978 | ATL | 1B | 129 | 125 | 1137 | 92 | 20 | 84 |
| 1978 | ATL | C | 21 | 16 | 83 | 13 | 3 | 0 |
| 1979 | ATL | 1B | 76 | 75 | 685 | 42 | 15 | 61 |
| 1979 | ATL | C | 27 | 27 | 127 | 15 | 5 | 2 |
| 1980 | ATL | 1B | 1 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980 | ATL | OF | 154 | 150 | 374 | 14 | 6 | 4 |
| 1981 | ATL | 1B | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1981 | ATL | OF | 103 | 99 | 254 | 11 | 5 | 4 |
| 1982 | ATL | OF | 162 | 161 | 407 | 6 | 9 | 2 |
| 1983 | ATL | OF | 160 | 158 | 373 | 10 | 6 | 0 |
| 1984 | ATL | OF | 160 | 160 | 369 | 10 | 5 | 1 |
| 1985 | ATL | OF | 161 | 161 | 334 | 8 | 7 | 4 |
| 1986 | ATL | OF | 159 | 159 | 303 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| 1987 | ATL | OF | 159 | 159 | 325 | 14 | 8 | 1 |
| 1988 | ATL | OF | 156 | 155 | 340 | 15 | 3 | 4 |
| 1989 | ATL | OF | 151 | 151 | 331 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 1990 | ATL | OF | 97 | 94 | 208 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 1990 | PHI | OF | 55 | 53 | 113 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 1991 | PHI | OF | 147 | 141 | 287 | 6 | 5 | 0 |
| 1992 | PHI | OF | 16 | 17 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1993 | COL | OF | 13 | 11 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 85 |
| First Base | 209 |
| Left Field | 101 |
| Center Field | 1041 |
| Right Field | 749 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Roberto Clemente Award | |
| 1986 | Gold Glove | OF |
| 1986 | Player of the Month | August |
| 1985 | Gold Glove | OF |
| 1985 | Lou Gehrig Memorial Award | |
| 1985 | Player of the Month | April |
| 1985 | Player of the Week | Week of 1985-04-12 |
| 1985 | Silver Slugger | OF |
| 1985 | TSN All-Star | OF |
| 1984 | Gold Glove | OF |
| 1984 | Player of the Month | September |
| 1984 | Silver Slugger | OF |
| 1984 | TSN All-Star | OF |
| 1983 | Gold Glove | OF |
| 1983 | Most Valuable Player | |
| 1983 | Player of the Month | September |
| 1983 | Player of the Week | Week of 1983-09-02 |
| 1983 | Silver Slugger | OF |
| 1983 | TSN All-Star | OF |
| 1983 | TSN Player of the Year | |
| 1982 | Gold Glove | OF |
| 1982 | Most Valuable Player | |
| 1982 | Player of the Month | April |
| 1982 | Player of the Week | Week of 1982-06-11 |
| 1982 | Silver Slugger | OF |
| 1982 | TSN All-Star | OF |
| 1982 | TSN Player of the Year | |
| 1980 | Player of the Month | August |
| 1979 | Player of the Week | Week of 1979-05-18 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | COL | NL | $200,000 |
| 1992 | PHI | NL | $2,500,000 |
| 1991 | PHI | NL | $2,500,000 |
| 1990 | ATL | NL | $2,000,000 |
| 1989 | ATL | NL | $2,000,000 |
| 1988 | ATL | NL | $2,000,000 |
| 1987 | ATL | NL | $1,925,000 |
| 1986 | ATL | NL | $1,825,000 |
| 1985 | ATL | NL | $1,625,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $16,575,000 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 11th | 34.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1986 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 21th | 2.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1985 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 7th | 63.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1984 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 9th | 52.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1983 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 1st | 318.0 | 336 | 21 |
| 1982 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 1st | 283.0 | 336 | 14 |
| 1980 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 12th | 23.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Dale Murphy (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Dale Murphy
Dale Murphy: the record in brief
Dale Murphy played a first major league game on September 13, 1976 and a last one on May 21, 1993. Murphy played for the Atlanta Braves (1976 to 1990), the Philadelphia Phillies (1990 through 1992), and the Colorado Rockies (1993). Murphy played primarily as an outfielder and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on March 12, 1956, in Portland, OR, USA and a listed size of 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds. Dale Murphy was the playing name; the full given name is Dale Bryan.
Murphy finished with 2,111 hits from 7,960 at bats in 2,180 games, which works out to .265; the totals also include 398 home runs, 1,266 RBI, and 161 stolen bases. Murphy got on base at a .346 rate and slugged .469 (.815 OPS). Against a .259 league average for those years, Murphy's .265 average was near the norm. By OPS the gap is 14.4% above league average (.815 against .712). For power, 1987 stands out: 44 home runs with the Atlanta Braves.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dale Murphy
- What years did Dale Murphy play?
- Dale Murphy played in Major League Baseball from 1976 to 1993.
- Was Dale Murphy a pitcher?
- No. Dale Murphy was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Dale Murphy hit?
- Dale Murphy hit 398 career home runs with 2111 hits.
- What was Dale Murphy's career batting average?
- Dale Murphy batted .265 over his career, with 2,111 hits in 7,960 at bats.
- How many RBI did Dale Murphy have?
- Dale Murphy drove in 1,266 runs in his career.
- Did Dale Murphy win an MVP?
- Yes. Dale Murphy won the Most Valuable Player award 2 times.