Orioles’ Silver Slugger history sad reminder of catastrophic failure with Eddie Murray

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Baltimore Orioles have such a rich and interesting history of Silver Slugger Award winners. Since the award’s creation in 1980, 16 Orioles players have taken it home to add to their trophy case. This includes Hall of Famer Eddie Murray, who won the award in back-to-back years in the 1980s. But like many moments in history, there are some details that others would like to forget.    

While he is undoubtedly one of the greatest Orioles to ever put on the orange and black, Murray’s time with the club wasn’t exactly all sunshine and rainbows. In fact, the end to his first go-around with the Orioles could be considered as one of the most embarrassing moments in franchise history. 

Murray collected more than 2,000 hits with the Orioles through the first 12 years of his career. However, he still found himself at odds with ownership after the team’s dirty laundry was aired out in public. Not only did the situation lead to Murray eventually being traded away from the team, but it left a bit of a dark cloud hanging over the organization for years.

Eddie Murray made the Orioles a better team and deserved better than he got in return

Murray won his first Silver Slugger Award in 1983, a season that many longtime Orioles fans remember fondly. His 33 home runs and 111 RBI helped propel the Orioles to an impressive 98-64 record. The team would then go on to win the World Series in five games over the Philadelphia Phillies. Although the team couldn’t quite match that same level of success the following season, Murray took home yet another Silver Slugger Award in 1984, boasting a .918 OPS.   

But like many good things, the excellent vibes couldn’t last forever. Murray’s relationship with the Orioles hit a major snag during the 1986 season when the star took the brunt of the criticism from then-owner Edward Bennett Williams, who became frustrated when his ball club didn’t quite live up to his expectations. During that lackluster season, the Orioles finished with a 73-89 record. 

Despite the team’s overall performance, Murray enjoyed a very strong year at the plate. With a .305/.396/.463 slash line, he was one of the team’s bright spots alongside Ripken Jr. and Fred Lynn. However, there was something brewing behind the scenes that altered Orioles’ history forever. 

After suffering a minor injury earlier in spring training that season, Murray reportedly felt like he was rushed back to action too soon. He would then find himself on the injured list for the first time in his career in July 1986. But it was when Williams publicly aired out his frustrations with Murray’s off-season conditioning and defensive prowess that the relationship reached the point of no return. 

While he initially requested a trade in 1986, Murray remained with the team until December 1988 when he was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers for infielder Juan Bell and pitchers Brian Holton and Ken Howell. The trade offered the Orioles very little in value in return, with Bell collecting just 36 hits for the team in three seasons and Holton sporting a 1.537 WHIP in two seasons with the club. Howell would be immediately traded to the Phillies after just four days with the Orioles.  

Meanwhile, Murray still had plenty left in the tank to offer to the Dodgers. He won another Silver Slugger Award in 1990 when he hit .330 and accumulated 5.2 bWAR. After bouncing around for a few years after that, Murray would eventually find his way back to Baltimore during the 1996 season after his relationship with the team had been smoothed over.   

Murray and the Orioles may be good now, but it does seem a little shocking that one of the greatest players in franchise history would have such a rocky history with the team. Although it is not the same situation, the Orioles’ catastrophic failure with Murray may make you think about Pete Alonso and the end of his tenure with the New York Mets. 

As a Silver Slugger Award winner and core component to the Mets clubhouse, Alonso seemed like he'd always be a Met. But for a number of reasons, the team let him walk in free agency and they struggled to replace Alonso’s production at first base in 2026. The Orioles saw an opportunity with Alonso and they have been a better team because of him. Let’s just hope they’ve learned their lesson from history this time around.        

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