LOS ANGELES - November 27, 1975
50 years ago this week, on November 27, 1975, the great Jim Murray, the witty sports columnist of the Los Angeles Times, got it WRONG.
I take nothing away from Murray. He was brilliant. And I often travel virtually to Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s just to take in his column. He always delivers a great read.
And it’s not fair to judge a daily sports columnist, who must put out a well written piece 5 times a week, if their future predictions in one entertaining read go awry.
What Happened?
On November 27, 1975, Murray wrote a fantastic column in which he lamented about the Dodgers trading away Jim Wynn (”The Toy Cannon”) to the Atlanta Braves for a young player with potential, Dusty Baker.
It turned out to be one of the best trades the Dodgers ever made.
Good thing for the Dodgers that they didn’t listen to Murray.
Jim Murray’s Column
Murray began the article with the an amusing explanation of how Jim Wynn got his nickname, “The Toy Cannon”:
The Back Story
Most readers at the time of Murray’s 1975 article knew that The Toy Cannon had been acquired via an earlier trade by the Dodgers after the 1973 season in what turned out to be a fantastic transaction.
Jim Wynn was brought in to be the new center fielder and he electrified the team in 1974, hitting 32 home runs (an L.A. Dodgers record at the time) and drawing 108 walks (also an L.A. Dodgers record at the time).
The team went 102 - 60 for the highest winning percentage since moving to L.A., and they reached the World Series for the first time since Koufax retired.
Murray reminded readers of the wonders Wynn performed for the Dodgers immediately upon joining the club in 1974:
Wynn Should Have Won MVP
It’s hard to overstate how good Jim Wynn was in 1974. He started the all-star game in center field, and was 5th in MVP voting.
A strong argument can be made that Wynn should have won the MVP in 1974. Instead the MVP award went to Wynn’s Dodgers’ teammate Steve Garvey, whose model-like face may have assisted his vote tally.
The Slump
In 1975, the Dodgers slumped, finishing 20 games behind the Big Red Machine, and Wynn had the biggest drop off of the starters, hitting just 18 HRs and batting only .248, although he did have 110 walks (a new L.A. Dodgers record) and a team leading OBP of .403. But no one looked at OBP in 1975.
The Trade
The Dodgers felt compelled to make a move after the 1975 season. They unloaded the 33 year old Toy Cannon to the Braves for 26 year old outfielder Dusty Baker.
Baker was coming off his 4th consecutive moderately productive season in Atlanta. He appeared good for 20 HRs / 80 RBIs and a reasonable batting average for the foreseeable future.
Murray Blasts The Dodgers Brass
Several days after the trade was made, Jim Murray unloaded on the Dodgers for the move. In the November 27th column, Murray wrote, “Blaming Jimmy Wynn for what happened to the Dodgers is in the immortal words of another sportswriter in New York like, ‘blaming the Johnstown Flood on a leaky toilet in Altoona.’”
As Murray pointed out there were a myriad of injuries and other problems that took down the team in 1975.
And so Murray lashed into the Dodgers front office further as he wrote, “Jimmy Wynn, who should have been the least, became the most available Dodger on the trading mart... The only guy in the club who has a nickname instead of a number. The only guy in the league who can hit 18 home runs and have a “bad” year was sent packing for a “maybe,” a young player from Atlanta, Dusty Baker.”
At the conclusion of the article Murray anguished over the loss the Dodgers would suffer by departing with Wynn, “Any player who can hit 18 home runs, get 102 hits, score 80 runs, and walk 110 times in only 412 at-bats is not only going to leave a hole in center field but in the center field bleachers. You shouldn’t trade “The Toy Cannon” for a “Who’s-That-Wearing-Tommy-Davis’-Old Number.”
Murray was RIGHT!
The very next season, in 1976, Jim Murray was proven to be RIGHT!
Wynn hit 17 HRs for the Braves, and led the league in walks with 127 (although he only batted .207).
But Dusty Baker, playing center field for the Dodgers, was dreadful, hitting just 4 HRs with 39 RBIs for the entire season.
And the Dodgers finished 10 games behind the Reds.
But Murray was only right for that one single year.
Murray was right until he was completely WRONG!
In the ensuing seasons, the Dodgers clearly hit the jackpot with Dusty Baker.
Baker emerged in 1977 as a dependable power hitter when he blasted 30 HRs.
He was instrumental in the Dodgers reaching the World Series 3 times in 5 seasons.
Baker himself was 4th in MVP voting in 1980 and 7th in 1981.
Wynn Wilted After 1976
Wynn’s production meanwhile dropped off so horrifically that he was out of baseball after the 1977 season, a year in which he only hit 1 HR and batted .175.
The Legacy of the Wynn-Baker Trade
I think it’s apparent that the Dodgers dominance of the National League West in the late 70s/early 80s, and their World Series Title of 1981 would not have happened without the Dusty Baker for Jim Wynn trade back in 1975.
Jim Murray got in wrong 50 years ago this week.
But he was still the most entertaining sports read in America.
On this Thanksgiving Weekend, I am thankful for great sportswriters from the past, especially Jim Murray.
I miss those "challenge" trades of major leaguer for major leaguer at the same position. Ozzie Smith for Garry Templeton is my favorite. Also loved the Carney Lansford for Tony Armas deal.
Of course the Mets also did the Costanza when they traded Ryan for Fregosi.