By Kent Larsen

Murphy Misses Hall of Fame for Third Time

NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- As expected, baseball writers once again declined to add LDS baseball star Dale Murphy to the Hall of Fame, but left him with enough votes to continue consideration again next year. Instead, the writers chose baseball greats Dave Winfield and Kirby Puckett, both in their first year of eligibility, for the Hall. The voting makes it increasingly clear that it is highly unlikely that Murphy will be inducted.

Analysis by Mormon News shows that Murphy's position in the voting declined this year from last year, earning just 24% of the vote, compared with 30% last year. In addition, three players that received fewer votes than Murphy last year have now received more votes than he did this year. He also has fallen to 13th place overall, from 10th last year.

However, Murphy did get 93 votes, enough to stay on the ballot next year. And his record is nothing to be ashamed of. He has been inducted into the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame. During his career, Murphy hit 398 home runs and was selected as the National League's MVP twice. He also snagged five gold glove awards and played on the National League all-star team seven times.