Pat Murphy took over as Milwaukee Brewers manager last season after Craig Counsell jumped ship for a division rival. A year and a division title later, Murphy won NL Manager of the Year.
Murphy was declared the winner on Tuesday, beating out finalists Mike Shildt of the San Diego Padres and fellow rookie manager Carlos Mendoza of the New York Mets. Murphy received 27 of the BBWAA’s 30 first-place votes, while Shildt, Mendoza and Rob Thomson of the Philadelphia Phillies each received one.
Murphy is the first Brewers manager to win the award, dating back to 1983.
Both Shildt and Mendoza led their teams to the playoffs after huge disappointments last season, but Murphy won the award by doing something different. His team won one more game than last year’s group, despite widespread expectations of a step back for a franchise that consistently punches above its weight.
Pat Murphy helped Brewers overcome big losses and long odds
Rewind to the last offseason, and the Brewers found themselves in an awkward spot.
Losing counsel hurts. One of the most respected managers in MLB not only left after more than eight years for a record-breaking, five-year, $40 million deal, but he also joined the team that many expected to knock the Brewers out of their place in the NL Central bump. .
Also gone were team architect David Stearns, who took more money from the Mets, and Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, who the team chose to trade for younger talent before leaving in free agency. Rotation stalwart Brandon Woodruff was also out for the season due to a shoulder injury. Other players also left, and their replacements weren’t exactly hit or miss.
Vegas didn’t like the Brewers’ chances to rebound, with BetMGM giving them worse division odds than the Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds.
To replace Counsell, the Brewers hired the man who coached him in college at Notre Dame and was his bench coach for eight years. Men about to turn 65 are rarely the first choice for leadership positions, but Murphy’s experience with the organization was invaluable after the loss of so much leadership.
To win the NL Central again and reach the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years, Murphy did much of what worked for the Brewers before. The team’s pitching staff was fluid, tying a franchise record with 17 different starting pitchers, plus 12 relievers recording at least one save, while the offense posted its most productive season (777 runs) since 2009.
The Brewers ultimately finished 93-69 and won the division, although they were stopped by Mendoza’s Mets in the wild-card round (that did not appear in the BBWAA voting, which is done at the end of the regular season).
Perhaps the most important part of the job for Murphy was dealing with Jackson Chourio. The super prospect made his MLB debut at age 19 and struggled to start the season, hitting .210/.254/.327 through the end of May. The Brewers could have sent him back to the minors or reworked his role in the offense, but instead they gambled on his talent and stayed the course.
Their reward was a guy who hit .303/.358/.525 the rest of the season and will anchor Milwaukee’s lineup for years to come, with Murphy filling his spot on the lineup card.
