When it comes to the subject of today's OotS feature, I'm afraid legendary US Poet Laureate Meghan Trainor was wrong.
When it comes to my love of
Mitchell Murray, it's all about that
face.
It's a face that makes me think he and I, had our paths ever crossed, would have become buds and got up to adventurous things. Adventurous enough perhaps to warrant a biopic about the strange brotherhood-like bond between the middle-aged pasty redheaded white dude from Australia and the former NeL catcher. Were he still alive, I see Michael K. Williams (Omar from
The Wire) starring, but as he isn't then Don Cheadle in the Mitch role and Jason Clarke as yours truly. I expect multiple Oscar wins and Bobblehead Dolls.
Anyhoo... clearly it is time for my meds and perhaps to revisit the recommended dosage.
Point being, Mitchel Murray is right up there with my favourite of all NeLers. Not because of any oversized talent or career achievements on his part, although he was a fair player and enjoyed his share of success on the field.
But rather, because of that face.
The man it belonged to was born 1896 (his January 28 birthday is just two days after my own, clearly one of the many building blocks of our broman... OK, OK, sorry) in Wyoming OH and spent 13 season all told in the NeL in a career mainly spanning the 1920s and that is most closely associated with the St. Louis Stars.
Seamheads gives him a 295/365/417 career slash with a 104 OPS+ and shows the mid-20s as his peak. EC's MLE allocates him slightly over 20 career WAR, 4 of which came in 1924 alone. Jim Riley gives him a decent blurb that mentions his game smarts and defensive prowess while playing down his hitting. I'm thinking a slight downgrade on Russell Martin, who has a similarly lovable mug, although Don Slaught features high on his Similarity Scores and might therefore be a more realistic comparison on stats alone.
Mitchell died at just 44 years of age, the circumstances of which I am yet to unearth. Roll credits and polish those statuettes.
In the EL, Mitchell was taken 35th overall by the ABCs in the 1970 Draft and spent four seasons at Indy in a backup role before being traded in his walk year to the Black Yankees. Single season stints at each of the Cuban Stars clubs followed that, and then he joined the Giants as a FA at the start of the current season, his age-31.
Fair to say he has so far exceeded expectations at St. Louis, slashing a mighty 350/412/517 with 3 HR and 25 RBI as I post this. He was signed on a one-year deal, but hopefully this gets him another bite at the cherry for '79. Whatever the case, we're with you Mitch my man and will be looking on eagerly.
PS Thanks to my (real) friend LSt for his efforts in doing the impossible and replicating MM's visage in his FaceGen, efforts not reflected anywhere near adequately due to my using a Mac.