Things You Find While Researching Other Things...

If you look up Eddie Murray in Baseball-Reference.com, it will tell you that the silent slugger was nicknamed Steady Eddie. I never heard anyone ever call him that, but there could not have been a more apt nickname.

Consider Murray's home run totals from 1977 to 1990: 27, 27, 25, 32, 22 (strike-shortened season), 32, 33, 29, 31, 17 (missed 30 games due to injury), 30, 28, 20, 26. He averaged 27 home runs and was within two of that number seven times.

Twenty-six Major Leaguers have cleared the 500 home run bar and none other had a career high as low as 33. Murray joined the club with a steady drumbeat of slugging. Bonds slammed 73, McGwire 70, Sosa 68, Ruth 60, Foxx 58, Mays 52, Aaron 47 . . . even Frank Thomas, another steady eddie, pounded more than 33 homers eight times, with a high of 43.

It wasn't just long balls. Consider Murray's doubles totals through 1996: 29, 32, 30, 36, 21, 30, 30, 26, 37, 25, 28, 27, 29, 22, 23, 37, 28, 21, 21, 21

He hit better (by OPS) than league average 1978-1988: 40%, 30%, 38%, 56%, 56%, 56%, 57%, 49%, 36%, 20%, 36%.

So which was Eddie Murray's best season? In 1984, he led the league with 107 walks and a .410 OBP, en route to that 157 OPS+. He finished fourth in the MVP voting. The year before he finished second, powered by a higher OPS and a .306-33-111 season. Was it 1982, another 156 OPS+ season, another runner-up MVP showing, when he posted an OPS another 10 points higher and a .316-32-110 tally. Or 1990, when he hit .330 in Dodger Stadium or 1985's 31 homers, 37 doubles and a career high 124 RBI?

From his Rookie of the Year award through his age 34 season, Eddie Murray had his best year every year and continued to be a productive player until he turned 40. 

Under the Radar, On Top of the League

I was just noticing, with the help of beyondtheboxscore.com, what a special year Rafael Furcal is compiling completely under the radar. At first glance -- .316 BA, 8 HR, 36 RBI -- the 5'8" Dominican is hitting for average and not much else. In fact, that considerably under-values him.

At .316/.381/.492 with 18 of 22 steals and plus defense, Furcal is authoring a deceptively historic season. Add to that the offense-dampening effect of Chavez Ravine and Furcal climbs a few rungs on the impressive ladder. Despite missing 35 games with injuries, the former Rookie of the Year is nonetheless the most valuable Dodger position player in 2010 and the most valuable shortstop in the NL, with a WARP (wins against replacement player) of 3.3 in what amounts to only half a season of work. (In both cases, this is damning with faint praise -- like being the warmest city in Siberia. Dodger position players and NL shortstops have reached a level of underwhelment unusual for both.)

Here's the most shocking news: according to baseball-reference.com, this is the best offensive season ever by a Dodger shortstop with at least 250 plate appearances, in percentage terms, as measured relative to league averages. He has performed 37% better offensively than the average National Leaguer, which is pretty amazing for a shortstop. Pee Wee Reese made the Hall of Fame without reaching these heights once, though by playing in a more congenial park and answering the bell for every game, he certainly posted more impressive numbers, such as 132 runs scored in 1949.

Of course, players contribute nothing to their teams when they're on the shelf, so missing a fifth of the season has to count against Furcal at least a little. But if he maintains this pace, his 2010 will rank among the most sublime, and least recognized, of all time.

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