Pat Murphy was formally appointed manager of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Pat Murphy, who was Craig Counsell’s bench coach for the previous eight seasons, is succeeding his former boss as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers.
It was just over a week after the Chicago Cubs revealed they had hired Counsell away from Milwaukee when the Brewers announced on Wednesday that they were elevating Murphy. On Monday, Counsell gave his first press conference with the Cubs.
Brewers head of baseball operations Matt Arnold stated in a statement, “Pat Murphy brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and passion for the game of baseball as well as a familiarity with the Brewers organization, players, staff, and culture.” “In the recent run of seasons that have seen extraordinary success in the history of the franchise, Pat has played a major role. Pat’s decision to stay with the Brewers is appreciated, and we’re happy to announce his promotion to manager today.”
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Thursday is Murphy’s first news conference with the Brewers. Murphy signed a three-year deal, and he has big shoes to fill.
Counsell guided the team to its longest stretch of continuous success, which included four postseason berths over the previous six seasons, and he also set a Brewers record for lifetime managerial victories. After Ron Roenicke was sacked as manager of the Brewers in 2015, Counsell assumed the position. After that 2015 season, he brought Murphy on board as his bench coach.
There is much more to the Counsell-Murphy links than that. Murphy, who turns 65 on November 28, managed Notre Dame from 1989 to 1992 while Counsell was a student-athlete for the Fighting Irish.
Murphy’s only big league management experience dates back to 2015, when he managed the San Diego Padres in an acting capacity following Bud Black’s dismissal and finished 42–54. Murphy joined Counsell’s Milwaukee staff following the 2015 season, when the Padres selected Andy Green as their full-time manager.
Prior to that, Murphy worked for around thirty years as a minor league manager and head coach in higher education.
A club that finished 92-70 and won the NL Central this season before losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a wild-card Series is led by Murphy. However, the Brewers are also at a loss over the contracts of a number of important players.
After undergoing shoulder surgery, two-time All-Star Brandon Woodruff may miss the entire 2024 season. The Brewers must determine whether to offer him a contract. Following the 2024 season, shortstop Willy Adames and All-Star pitcher Colin Burnes might become free agents. Additionally, there are still two seasons left for All-Star closer Devin Williams to become a free agent.
The Brewers promoted Murphy and promoted Rickie Weeks to assistant manager. Weeks was a Brewers player from 2003 to 2014, and in 2011 he was selected to the NL All-Star team. He worked as a player development assistant for the Brewers organization for the previous two seasons.
“Rickie was a hard-nosed, homegrown player for the Brewers for many years and is now a valued member of our coaching staff,” Arnold stated. “We look forward to him bringing many of the attributes that he possessed as a player into the dugout in his new role.”
Murphy led the Sun Devils to the 1998 College World Series championship game and compiled a total 947-400-2 coaching record while serving as head coach at Arizona State (1995–2009) and Notre Dame (1988–94). Including his time at Division III Maryville (Tennessee) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (California), he has 1,000 victories overall in college.
Murphy managed with the Padres from 2011 to 2015 at both the Single-A and Triple-A levels, compiling a 273-230 overall record.
He suffered a heart attack during a team training at American Family Field in August of 2020, which caused him to miss a significant portion of the season due to the pandemic. It took Murphy over six weeks to return to the team.
