Years of Service: 13 (1977-88, 1996)
Position: First Baseman
EDDIE! EDDIE! EDDIE!
Photo via Camden Chat
By the time I was old enough to pay attention, Eddie Murray was the Orioles' big star. The hair, sideburns and bushy mustache added up to an iconic image of the era. Murray was, quite simply, one of the best switch hitters in baseball history. He was the third player to amass 3,000 hits and 500 homers for his career. The first two? Hank Aaron and Willie Mays - 'nuff said.
Murray was a no-brainer, first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and he is the first inductee on my A to Z list. As extraordinary as he was at the plate, it should not be forgotten that he was also a stellar first baseman. For his career, he won three Gold Gloves at the position. An early scouting report in the organization trumpeted his skill in turning a 3-6-3 double play.
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For each letter of the A to Z Challenge, I will feature one player from Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns history. I hope you will join me. I hope you'll also check out the other 1200+ blogs participating. See the full list at Tossing It Out.
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