Eddie Murray---1984
His numbers are staggering—3,255
hits, 504 home runs, 1,917 RBIs,
1,627 runs scored. The recognition
he received is even more
impressive—1977 AL Rookie of the
Year, three Gold Gloves, eight All-
Star Game appearances, 2003
inductee to the Baseball Hall of
Fame. To top things off, Eddie
Murray was a switch-hitter, one of the
best from both sides of the plate the
game has ever known.
But it nearly didn’t turn out that way.
Two years after being drafted by the
Orioles in the third round in 1973,
Murray was faring well but not
overwhelming the masses at Double-
A Asheville. He swung exclusively
from the right side of the plate, and
while he showed flashes of power, his
prospect status was anything but a
sure thing. But Asheville O’s
manager Jim Schaffer saw more
potential, particularly with a right-field
wall only 290 feet away at McCormick
Field. He began working with Murray
on swinging from the left side during
early batting practice every afternoon
the team was at home. After a couple
of months of work, Schaffer
encouraged Murray to put it to use in
a game against Knoxville and future
major league pitcher Tim Stoddard.
Murray singled to left field, and
Schaffer mentioned it in his daily
report to the big league club.
Shortly thereafter, farm director Cal
Ripken, Sr., was on the phone with
Schaffer, telling the manager he
would be fired if he continued to
mess with Murray. Baltimore officials
traveled to western North Carolina to
express their concerns as well. The
big first baseman, however, stepped
in and said he was in favor of giving it
a try for the remaining few weeks of
the season. He stuck with it, and by
midway through the 1976 campaign,
Murray had six home runs as a right-
handed hitter and another six as a
southpaw swinger at Double-A
Charlotte. Obviously, Murray
continued with the “experiment” for
the remainder of his remarkable
career, thanks in large part to a
manager in Jim Schaffer who is little
more than a footnote in baseball’s
grand history.
(10/4/08)
hits, 504 home runs, 1,917 RBIs,
1,627 runs scored. The recognition
he received is even more
impressive—1977 AL Rookie of the
Year, three Gold Gloves, eight All-
Star Game appearances, 2003
inductee to the Baseball Hall of
Fame. To top things off, Eddie
Murray was a switch-hitter, one of the
best from both sides of the plate the
game has ever known.
But it nearly didn’t turn out that way.
Two years after being drafted by the
Orioles in the third round in 1973,
Murray was faring well but not
overwhelming the masses at Double-
A Asheville. He swung exclusively
from the right side of the plate, and
while he showed flashes of power, his
prospect status was anything but a
sure thing. But Asheville O’s
manager Jim Schaffer saw more
potential, particularly with a right-field
wall only 290 feet away at McCormick
Field. He began working with Murray
on swinging from the left side during
early batting practice every afternoon
the team was at home. After a couple
of months of work, Schaffer
encouraged Murray to put it to use in
a game against Knoxville and future
major league pitcher Tim Stoddard.
Murray singled to left field, and
Schaffer mentioned it in his daily
report to the big league club.
Shortly thereafter, farm director Cal
Ripken, Sr., was on the phone with
Schaffer, telling the manager he
would be fired if he continued to
mess with Murray. Baltimore officials
traveled to western North Carolina to
express their concerns as well. The
big first baseman, however, stepped
in and said he was in favor of giving it
a try for the remaining few weeks of
the season. He stuck with it, and by
midway through the 1976 campaign,
Murray had six home runs as a right-
handed hitter and another six as a
southpaw swinger at Double-A
Charlotte. Obviously, Murray
continued with the “experiment” for
the remainder of his remarkable
career, thanks in large part to a
manager in Jim Schaffer who is little
more than a footnote in baseball’s
grand history.
(10/4/08)
