Pat Murphy took over as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers last season after Craig Counsell jumped ship for the division rival. A year and one division title later, Murphy won NL Manager of the Year.
Murphy was named the winner 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 30 first-place votes from the BBWAA, with Shildt, Mendoza and Rob Thomson of the Philadelphia Phillies each receiving one.
Murphy is the first Brewers manager to win the award, which dates 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 the Brewers overcome big losses and long odds
Fast forward to last season and the Brewers were in an awkward spot.
Losing Counsell hurts. One of the most respected managers in MLB not only left after more than eight years in a record five-year, $40 million deal, he joined a team that many expected to knock the Brewers off their perch in the NL Central. .
Also gone were team architect David Stearns, who took more money from the Mets, and Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, who the team decided to trade for younger talent before he left for free agency. Rotation stalwart Brandon Woodruff also missed the season due to a shoulder injury. Other players also left and their replacements were not exactly sharp.
Vegas didn’t like that the Brewers odds were reset, BetMGM was giving them worse divisional odds than the Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds.
To replace Counsell, the Brewers hired the man who coached him in college at Notre Dame and served as his bench coach for eight years. Men who will turn 65 are rarely the first choice for management positions, but Murphy’s experience with the organization has been invaluable after the loss of so much leadership.
To win the NL Central again and make the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years, Murphy did much of what had worked for the Brewers before. The pitching staff was fluid, tying a franchise record with 17 different starting pitchers plus 12 relievers posting at least one save, while the offense posted its most productive season (777 runs) since 2009.
The Brewers finished 93-69 and won the division, despite being stopped by Mendoza’s Mets in the wild-card round (which did not figure 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 working with Jackson Chouri. The super prospect made his MLB debut at age 19 and struggled to start the season, hitting .210/.254/.327 by the end of May. The Brewers could have sent him back to the minors or reworked his role offensively, 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.