Does Danny Murtaugh, arguably the best Pittsburgh Pirates manager over the past century with two World Series crowns and five divisional titles, belong in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame?
Danny Murtaugh
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… Bruce Markusen made a great case more than a decade ago
Eleven years ago, a writer named Bruce Markusen persuasively argued for the enshrinement of Danny Murtaugh in the MLB Hall of Fame,
Whitey Herzog, Davey Johnson and Billy Martin have drawn most of the headlines of the managers listed on this year’s Hall of Fame ballot, but none has a stronger case for Cooperstown enshrinement than a far less publicized fellow. Of all the former managers listed on the Veterans Committee ballot, the late Danny Murtaugh is as deserving as anyone.
Bruce Markusen, “Cooperstown Confidential: Danny Murtaugh and
the Hall of Fame,” The Hardball Times, Dec. 4, 2009
Over a period of 20 years from 1957 to '77, Danny coached the Bucs for 15 of those years, winning two World Series crowns and five divisional titles. In all of them, the Pirates were a small-market team, but yet they defeated the powerful New York Yankees in 1960 and the Baltimore Orioles in 1971.
Ranks above eight HF managers
Look at this short synopsis of his career,
Manager Danny Murtaugh was one of the most beloved and successful figures in the storied history of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The former second baseman managed Pittsburgh to two World Series championships and a total of five Eastern Division crowns over parts of 15 seasons and four stints with the Pirates from 1957 to 1976.
Murtaugh finished his managerial career with a record of 1,115-950, which ranks second in the 123-year history of the Pirates behind Fred Clarke's 1,602 victories from 1900-15.
His .540 winning percentage ranks higher than eight other managers currently enshrined in the Hall of Fame, including Ned Hanlon (.530), Tommy Lasorda (.526), Bill McKechnie (.526), Dick Williams (.520), Casey Stengel (.508), Wilbert Robinson (.500), Bucky Harris (.493) and Connie Mack (.486).
“Murtaugh for the Hall,” Pittsburgh Pirates Fan Forum, mlb.com, n.d.
Connie Mack with a .486 average is in the Hall of Fame, yet Murtaugh has a .540 percentage, two crowns, five divisional titles, and has not been considered.
Murtaugh also defeated two Hall of Fame managers in the World Series, Casey Stengel in 1960, whose talent was far superior to the Pirates’, and Earl Weaver in 1971.
Why is Murtaugh overlooked?
Marukusen makes a great argument for Murtaugh on a number of levels, and I print much of it here,
I can hear the arguments against Murtaugh already. “Murtaugh, wasn’t he the guy who looked like he was sleeping in the dugout?” Or, there’s the one that has become a common refrain in recent years: “Murtaugh just doesn’t feel like a Hall of Famer.”
Those kinds of reactions will happen when the manager is more laid back than fiery, doesn’t self-promote, and spends his entire career managing in a small market. But a closer look at Murtaugh, in terms of statistical achievements and testimonial and anecdotal support, yields a far more enlightening picture.
In assessing a manager’s worthiness for the Hall of Fame, three statistical measures seem the most important to me. They should not be construed as the final word on a manager’s candidacy, but rather as a simple tool in providing a snapshot of a manager’s career. These measures include the number of world championships, the number of postseason visits relative to the number of seasons managed, and the manager’s winning percentage in the regular season. Murtaugh grades well in all three categories:
World Championships: Winning a World Series is difficult. For managers, winning multiple world championships is exceedingly hard. (Just ask supporters of Herzog, Johnson and Martin, who each claimed one World Series) Only eight managers have won three or more World Series. Of those eight, seven are in the Hall of Fame. The eighth, Joe Torre, will join them shortly after he retires from managing.
Thirteen managers have won exactly two World Series, including Murtaugh. Of those, six are members of the Hall of Fame (Frank Chance, Bucky Harris, Tommy Lasorda, Bill McKechnie, Billy Southworth and Dick Williams). Of the seven who are not in the Hall of Fame, three are still active (Terry Francona, Cito Gaston and Tony LaRussa). That leaves four men on the outside looking in: Bill Carrigan (who had an overall won-loss percentage below .500), Ralph Houk, Tom Kelly (whose career record was also below .500), and Murtaugh. So Murtaugh is in pretty rare company. And though a minimum of two world championships does not—and should not—guarantee someone a place in Cooperstown (13 of 21 have made it thus far), it does at least put you into the argument.
Perhaps Murtaugh also should receive some extra credit here for the kind of world championships he won as manager. In 1960 and 1971, the Pirates entered the World Series as substantial underdogs to the Yankees and Orioles, respectively. In spite of early Series deficits—they were down two games to one in each Series—Murtaugh’s teams managed to come back, completing two of the most stunning upsets in Series history.
Postseason frequency: Since Murtaugh’s career was split between the league and division formats, we have to be careful here. After all, from 1969 to the current day, it has become easier to make the postseason than it was for those managers who worked in the days before the four divisions were created.
Of the 19 men who have been elected to the Hall of Fame as managers, six had careers that included significant stretches from 1969 on. So let’s compare Murtaugh to this “Super Six.”
Manager: Postseason app/overall seasons Percentage
Earl Weaver (six out of 17) 35 per cent
Tommy Lasorda (seven out of 21) 33 per cent
*Danny Murtaugh (five out of 15) 33 per cent
Walter Alston (seven out of 23) 30 per cent
Sparky Anderson (seven out of 26) 27 per cent
Dick Williams (five out of 21) 24 per cent
Leo Durocher (three out of 24) 13 per cent
Murtaugh does well among the managers in this grouping. He ranks behind only Weaver, is tied with Lasorda (who does beat him on longevity), and ranks ahead of heavy hitters like Alston and Anderson. All in all, Murtaugh holds his own with the established Hall of Fame managers.
Winning percentage: In chalking up 1,115 victories over 15 seasons, Murtaugh compiled a winning percentage of .540. How does that compare to the Hall of Fame managers? If put on a list with the 18 major league managers in the Hall (excluding Negro Leagues great Rube Foster), Murtaugh would rank 10th overall in percentage—smack dab in the middle. Murtaugh falls in line behind such legends as Joe McCarthy, John McGraw and Miller Huggins, who help form the upper tier of Hall of Fame managers. But Murtaugh ranks ahead of luminaries like Lasorda, Williams, Bill McKechnie and Casey Stengel. All things considered, Murtaugh does not fare as well as he did in postseason frequency, but still manages to beat half of the field.
Bruce Markusen, The Hardball Times, Dec. 4, 2009
Built a team from nothing
The first Pirates manager I can remember is Bobby Bragan, who was managing when I started listening to baseball in the 1950s — few games were televised, and never the Bucs.
In his first full season as manager in 1958, the Bucs went 84-70, and two years later won the NL pennant with 95 wins and a great victory over the Yankees in the World Series.
Built solid relationships with players
Danny managed intermittently because of health reasons — he died of a heart attack at the age of 59, a battle that he waged throughout his life.
However, he again took over the Bucs full-time in 1970, and he worked to re-build his relationship with Roberto Clemente,
During his first two tenures in Pittsburgh, Murtaugh had struggled in his relationship with Roberto Clemente. Believing Clemente to be a hypochondriac, he often questioned the severity of his injuries. As a result, Clemente grew to distrust Murtaugh. But by the end of the 1970 season, Murtaugh and Clemente had developed a peaceful coexistence. Though still not close friends, the two men came to understand each other’s importance. Murtaugh recognized Clemente as the leader of the clubhouse, a realization that made the manager’s job easier. He began to confide in Clemente, knowing that Roberto could pass along important messages to the rest of the players.
Bruce Markusen, The Hardball Times, Dec. 4, 2009
Murtaugh also made Willie Stargell the leader of a team that he would take to the World Series eight years after the second crown in 1971, and showed his deference to black players,
The Pirates’ other resident star had long since regarded Murtaugh as an ally. In a revealing interview with the Newark Star Ledger, Willie Stargell praised Murtaugh as a role manager. “If I were a manager,” Stargell said, “Danny Murtaugh is the kind of manager I’d want to be like. He doesn’t demand respect; he commands it. He knows how to handle players, to get the most out of them. He doesn’t say much, but when he does, you listen because you know it means something” …
Murtaugh’s color-blind attitudes might have contributed to a piece of baseball history. On Sept. 1, 1971, Murtaugh fielded the first all-black lineup in the major leagues. Murtaugh tried to downplay any special intent at the time, but some of the Pirates I’ve talked to believe that the manager knew exactly what he was doing in making out a lineup card of nine minorities. If so, Murtaugh showed a kind of fortitude and courage that other managers lacked. Less than a month and a half later, those fully integrated Pirates concluded the season with a monumental World Series upset of the Orioles.
In terms of being a psychologist, a player’s manager, and a father figure to his Pirate players, Murtaugh succeeded masterfully. Yet, he did receive his share of criticism from the media for being too laid back, for being too hands off in his managerial style. There may be some legitimacy to that argument. Murtaugh did not fiercely adopt the running game like Martin did in some of his managerial stops. He did not motivate in the manner that Williams did in Boston, Oakland or San Diego. Nor did he embrace the use of statistics like Weaver did with the Orioles.
Bruce Markusen, The Hardball Times, Dec. 4, 2009
Other awards and arguments
Manager of the Year [AP] three times: 1958, 1960, 1970
Twice Sports News Manager of Year, 1960 and 1970
Man of the Year, Sport Magazine, 1960
Two World Series more than seven HF managers
Durocher, Hanlon, Lopez, Robinson, Selee, Waver, and Wright, who have either none or one.
Only seven managers in the HF have more World Series titles.
Links
Markusen article
Murtaugh in Hall of Fame
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