WHY I THINK DANNY MURTAUGH SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

 WHY I THINK DANNY MURTAUGH SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN 

By- Damien 

Danny Murtaugh was first a scrappy second baseman and then a scrappy manager. From 1941 through 1951 he did okay as a second baseman, but I am mostly advocating for him for his immense skills as a manager. His .540 lifetime winning percentage is better than that of 12 of the 22 managers already enshrined in Cooperstown. Danny Murtaugh started his playing career with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1941, leading the NL in stolen bases as a rookie despite only playing in 85 games. He had a poor 1942 season but batted .273 in 1943. Murtaugh then spent the next two seasons in Military Service with the 97th infantry. He returned in 1946 but batted .211 in six games, and hit .125 in three for the Boston Braves the next year. With the Pirates in 1948, Murtaugh batted .290 and drove in 71 runs, finishing ninth in the NL MVP Award voting. He slumped in 1949, batting .203 in 75 games, but rebounded in 1950 to hit .294. He played another half season in 1951 before quitting as a player. In 1957 he got a job as the manager of the Pirates and won 26 of 51 games. He was one of the best managers in baseball for the entirety of his career, and in 1960 he won 95 games and the World Series. He took a liking to a young outfielder by the name of Roberto Clemente, and the two became good friends and superstars. After the 1964 season he didn’t manage a big league game until 1967, trying to protect his health, and after that he didn’t manage again until 1970. He won big that year and won the World Series again in 1971. He stayed out of the managing business again in 1972, and after he learned of Clemente’s shocking death that year, he was crushed. Just think about it - for somebody to lose a friend to a plane crash at 38, your whole world would spiral out of control. And for a manager, not only did he lose his star player, but his focus must have been shattered, which can be disastrous considering how much the managing game relies on sharp wits. Murtaugh won 88 games in 1974 and finished out his career in 1976 after putting up two consecutive 92 win seasons. He died that year on December 2 of a stroke when he was only 59. Danny Murtaugh was a good second baseman, one of the greatest managers in history, and a man who gave his whole life to baseball. A man like that always belongs in the Hall of Fame. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 767 season high: 146 in 1948 

At Bats career: 2,599 season high: 514 in 1948 

Hits career: 661 season high: 149 in 1948 

Doubles career: 97 season high: 21 in 1948 

Triples career: 21 season high: 5 in 1948 and 1950 

Home Runs career: 8 season high: 2 in 1949 and 1950 

Runs career: 263 season high: 65 in 1943 

Runs Batted In career: 219 season high: 71 in 1948 

Stolen Bases career: 49 season high: 18 in 1941 led NL: 18 in 1941 

Walks career: 287 season high: 60 in 1948 

Strikeouts career: 215 season high: 42 in 1950 

Batting Average career: .254 season high: .294 in 1950 

On Base Percentage career: .331 season high: .376 in 1950 

Slugging Percentage career: .317 season high: .392 in 1950 

Total Bases career: 824 season high: 183 in 1948 

Sacrifice Hits career: 42 season high: 21 in 1942 

Fielding Percentage career: .969 season high: .979 in 1948 

Double Plays career: 459 season high: 95 in 1948 led NL 2B: 95 in 1948 

Putouts career: 1,837 season high: 375 in 1948 led NL 2B: 375 in 1948 

Assists career: 1,988 season high: 412 in 1948 led NL 2B: 412 in 1948 

Games Managed career: 2,068 season high: 162 in 1963, 1964, 1970, 1971, 1974, and 1976 

Wins career: 1,115 season high: 97 in 1971 

Losses career: 950 season high: 88 in 1963 

Ties career: 3 season high: 1 in 1959, 1960, and 1967 

Winning Percentage career: .540 season high: .617 in 1960 

Ejections career: 20 season high: 4 in 1958 and 1959 

Pennants 1960 NL, 1971 NL 

World Series 1960, 1971 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-led NL second basemen in games (146) in 1948 

-hit one of his home runs off of Hall of Famer Robin Roberts and another off of Sal Maglie 

-also played 58 games at third base, 61 at shortstop, 30 as a pinch hitter, and two as a pinch runner 

-was the 1960 Sport Magazine Man of the Year 

-twice won the Sporting News Manager of the Year Award 

-won four career division titles (in 1970, 1971, 1974, and 1975) 

-has the highest career winning percentage as a manager in Pirates history other then Hall of Famer Fred Clarke 

-on September 1, 1971, he became the first manager ever to have his starting lineup consist of nine black players, and he won that game by scoring ten runs 

-his number 40 is retired by the Pirates