Dwayne Murphy

Dwayne Keith Murphy

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.
• High School: Antelope Valley High School
• Debut April 8, 1978
• Final Game October 1, 1989
• Born March 18, 1955 in Merced, CA USA

BR page

[edit] Biographical Information

Dwayne Murphy played 12 years in the big leagues, combining top defense with some power, speed, and an ability to draw walks.

Murphy was born in Merced, CA, about 120 miles from Oakland. Drafted in the 15th round in 1973 by the Oakland Athletics, he came up to the majors for the first time in 1978 at age 23. He would spend the large bulk of his career with Oakland.

Murphy won six Gold Gloves, and also added some power and speed, with a peak home run total of 33 in 1984 and a peak stolen-base total of 26 in both 1980 and 1982. He led the league in Power/Speed Number in 1982. Oddly for a player with power, he also led the league in sacrifice hits in 1980 - because he batted second in the lineup behind Rickey Henderson. He also batted second behind Rickey during Henderson's record-breaking base-stealing season in 1982.

The Athletics in the early 1980s had an outfield of Murphy, Rickey Henderson, and Tony Armas, and many fans saw it as the best young outfield in baseball.

In 1990 Murphy played in Japan for the Yakult Swallows.

Dwayne had attended Antelope Valley High School, playing both baseball and football. He turned down a football scholarship to play baseball instead. However, after his baseball career he returned to football as a high school coach for four seasons.

He was a coach with the Arizona Diamondbacks from their inception in 1998 until 2003, including for their World Series-winning season in 2001. After serving as a coach for the AAA Syracuse SkyChiefs in 2005 and 2006, Murphy became a roving minor league hitting instructor for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2007. He held that position when he was named the team's first base coach on June 20, 2008, in the wake of Cito Gaston's nomination to replace the fired John Gibbons as Blue Jay manager. Murphy was named batting coach for the Blue Jays in 2010.

[edit] Notable Achievements

• 6-time AL Gold Glove Winner (1980-1985)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 3 (1982, 1984 & 1985)
• 30-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1984)

[edit] Year-By-Year Minor League Managerial Record

[edit] Related Sites