Eddie Murray (born 1956) was an MLB first baseman and designated hitter from 1977 to 1997. He is best remembered for his time with the Baltimore Orioles from 1977 to 1988. From 1989 to 1997, he spent time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles again, Cleveland Indians, and Anaheim Angels.
At the end of his career, Murray had a .287 batting average, 3,255 hits, 504 home runs, and 1,917 runs batted in. He was an eight time All Star, a three time Gold Glove Award winner, a three time Silver Slugger Award, and in 1981 he led the AL in home runs and RBIs.
Murray was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003 on 85.3% of the vote on the first ballot. Additionally, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Baltimore Orioles, and they retired his no. 33 jersey.
Born as the eighth child of twelve siblings, Murray often joked that he did not have to go far to set up a pick up game as a kid. He has talked about how these games were fiercely competitive, and the older siblings would never give him an inch.
Murray played Little League and fell in love with baseball. His coach was a retired minor league player from the Dodger’s system, who was
named Clifford Prelow. In his Hall of Fame speech, Murray specifically thanked Prelow because “He really helped teach the love of the game.” By the time Murray was playing baseball in high school, he was excelling, and he batted at .500 as a senior.
He was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in 1973 in the third round of the amateur draft. Murray was 17 years old. He smoothly progressed through the farm system, and he debuted in April of 1977 for the Orioles.
He played in 160 games as a rookie, and he won the AL Rookie of the Year Award. The next year, Murray improved his performance across the board.
In 1979, he narrowly missed the All Star Game, but he finished 11th in MVP voting. Murray was a major piece for the Orioles in the postseason that year. While he played well leading up to the World Series, Murray went 4-for-26 as the Orioles lost in seven.
Murray was a huge contributor for the Orioles for the rest of his time there. He was consistently putting up season worthy of MVP votes, and while he did not win the MVP, he came in second twice.
The friendship between Murray and Cal Ripken, Jr. is one of the lasting legacies of his time in Baltimore. It was well publicized, and Ripken credited Murray for teaching him his famous work ethic.
Murray was traded in 1988 because the Orioles were rebuilding and needed to save on his expensive contract.
Murray would play for several teams over the next decade, and though he gradually declined, he remained at the caliber of a Hall of Famer.
When he retired in 1997, Murray went down as an excellent power hitter. He stayed busy in retirement, which included a stint as hitting coach for the Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers, work with the Baltimore Parks and Recreation Department, a charity wine called the Eddie Murray 504 Cabernet, and an insider trading charge from the SEC (settled without admitting or denying any wrongdoing).
Murray gave an excellent Hall of Fame speech in 2003. He mostly talked about his struggles, the help he was given, and the importance of the team over the individual. In the end, he pointed to the back of the crowd where there were 300 kids that he invited from the inner city little league, and he told them that “they would be here too.”
Below are a few of the best cards that cover Murray’s career. Many of the earlier sets and cards are more valuable, and as you enter the 1980s and 1990s, his cards sharply drop off in value due to the era of overproduced baseball cards.
1978 Topps Eddie Murray Rookie Card
The 1978 Topps set has 726 cards. Each card is of standard measurements (2 ½” x 3 ½”). Eddie Murray sits at #36, and his rookie card is a key to the set. Other keys include Reggie Jackson, George Brett, and Nolan Ryan.
There are 174,000 cards registered with PSA which provides a reference point on the availability and value of graded cards on the secondary market. Well over 10,000 copies are Murray copies.
Murray’s card is valuable because of his Hall of Fame caliber and popularity as a player. Gem Mint copies have sold for $10,000 to $20,000 for several years, but a copy recently sold for nearly $60,000, perhaps signaling an upswing in value.
1979 O-Pee-Chee Eddie Murray Rookie Card
There are only 242 players in this set, and Eddie Murray made the cut at #154. Each card is standard sized. In addition to Murray’s rookie
card, the keys largely remain the same.
PSA has about 10,000 cards registered from this set, and Murray copies number 800.
This is a quality backup option for a Murray rookie card. Gem Mint copies are rarely sold, but they would go for thousands because Mint copies have neared $1,000.
1979 Topps Eddie Murray
Baseball cards enter a difficult period around here, and Murray’s cards become common and affordable after his rookie card.
There are 726 cards in the set, and Murray’s card is at #640. Each card is standard sized. Ozzie Smith’s rookie card is the key to the set.
PSA has about 100,000 cards registered for the set, and a couple thousand cards are Murray copies.
On a budget of $1,000, any grade is possible.
1979 O-Pee-Chee Eddie Murray
O-Pee-Chee beefed up their set in 1979 with 374 cards. Murray is at the end of the set at #338. Each card has standard measurements. Ozzie Smith remains the key rookie on this set.
PSA has about 8,500 cards registered, which refers more to its lack of value rather than rarity. About 80 cards are Murray copies.
Few of the cards from this entire set are worth much, but an Eddie Murray copy in Gem Mint condition can still go for $1,000.
Conclusion
The best cards for Murray, his freshman and sophomore releases, are covered here, but there are many more cards that cover the rest of his career. However, most of them continue to fall in value.
Murray is one of the best power hitters of his era. He will always be remembered for his contributions to baseball. There are dozens of different Murray cards, and this article went through the best of them.