Dwayne Keith Murphy (born March 18, 1955) is an American former player who spent most of his career playing for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder. During much of his time in Oakland, Murphy batted second in the lineup behind hall-of-famer Rickey Henderson. He was one of the best defensive outfielders of his time, receiving six consecutive Gold Gloves from 1980 through 1985. He is currently the minor league assistant hitting coach and outfield coordinator for the Texas Rangers, after previously serving as a coach in the Arizona Diamondbacks and Toronto Blue Jays organizations. Playing career Oakland Athletics (1978–87) Murphy was born in Merced, California, about 120 miles from Oakland. After graduating from Antelope Valley High School in Lancaster, California, Murphy was drafted in the 15th round in the 1973 draft by the Oakland Athletics, after turning down a football scholarship from Arizona State University. He came up to the majors for the first time in 1978 at age 23. He would spend the large bulk of his career with Oakland. Murphy struggled in his rookie year. While he only played in 60 games that season, he managed to collect just 10 hits in 52 plate appearances (giving him an .182 batting average) and he did not hit a home run. His numbers improved as he became the A's everyday center fielder. His power numbers grew as well. The Athletics in the early 1980s had an outfield of Murphy, Rickey Henderson, and Tony Armas, and many saw it as the best young outfield in baseball. The A's made the playoffs in 1981, where they lost to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. In those playoffs, Murphy hit .421 and hit one home run in six games. Murphy's biggest offensive year came in 1984, where he batted .256, hit 33 home runs and recorded 88 RBI in 153 games. Murphy also drew many walks which led to a very high on-base percentage, and had excellent speed on the base paths. He stole 26 bases in both 1980 and 1982. Murphy was also one of the best defensive players in the game, winning an incredible six straight Gold Gloves from 1980 to 1985. His signature play became a trademark of sorts for him – his hat blowing off his head on virtually every play he made, from tracking down routine fly balls to