Pat Murphy on taking over as Brewers manager, his expectations for 2024 and his relationship with Craig Counsell
There will be no shortage of storylines this spring at American Family Fields of Phoenix.
With the Milwaukee Brewers attempting to become the first repeat champion in the National League Central Division since the Chicago Cubs in 2016 and 2017 , it will be Pat Murphy now calling the shots from the dugout as he replaces Craig Counsell as the 20th manager in franchise history.
It's the first full-time opportunity to call the shots in the major leagues for the 65-year-old, who for the previous eight years served as Counsell's bench coach and in 2015 served as interim manager for the final 96 games of the season for the San Diego Padres.
During his time at Counsell's side, Murphy filled a multitude of roles – confidant, sounding board, teacher, disciplinarian and comedian.
Now, Brewers fans will have their chance to see what a Murphy-managed team will play like. Will things be markedly different from how they were under Counsell?
Only time will tell.
With pitchers and catchers taking to the fields at Maryvale for the first time Thursday and the entire team taking part in its initial workout on the 20th, Murphy took part in his first pre-camp question-and-answer session with the Journal Sentinel.
What has life been like for you since you were named manager?
Murphy: I mean, a lot more conversations with Matt Arnold. My life's about my kids first and foremost, and then just because of the years I've been in the game, it's just been pretty standard. I like to interact with people – a lot of former players and a lot of guys out there in the business that I stay in touch with. So, it's not work for me. It's a life's work. It's what I do. I'm grateful to be in it, absolutely.
How motivated are you to show people you were the right pick?
Murphy: I'm not motivated to show people anything. I'm motivated for myself, for the guys on the team and for the Brewers to have this responsibility. It's not about showing people. It's not about proving anything. How one person measures success and how another person measures success can be two different things. But here's the thing: I'm just excited to do it in this seat. I feel grateful, but I'm not trying to prove anything to anybody. But my expectations are going to be a little higher than most peoples', I promise you.
You're wearing No. 21 this season. Is there any particular meaning behind it?
Murphy: I was going to joke and say it was in honor of Vogey (former Brewer Daniel Vogelbach). I was 21 at Notre Dame. My boyhood friend growing up loved Roberto Clemente and turned me on to Roberto Clemente at a young age. So when I got to Notre Dame, I had just talked to him and he said, 'You better wear No. 21 in honor of Roberto,' so that's what I did. And I feel kind of the same as when I took the job at Notre Dame. I feel like I've prepped for this my whole life. I never dreamed of being a major-league manager. I didn't dream that. But I dreamed about being at Notre Dame. And when I got there, it just felt right. And this just feels right. I didn't lobby for this job or position myself on purpose for this thing or whatever. I just came here to help Couns. You know, 'You've never coached before and I came here to help,' and it's turned into something that just feels right.
Will we notice any big changes in the way a Pat Murphy-led team approaches spring training?
Murphy: I'm certain things will feel different to some people. I can't pinpoint it. I just know the way I want to do things. Really, I don't know how different it'll be, I really don't. I just kind of wipe the slate clean. I know we've done a lot of great stuff, and I've learned from that. I don't know how different it'll feel to other people. I'm sure it will.
What do you think Rhys Hoskins brings to the table?
Murphy: Well, there's no question his presence in the lineup is going to make a huge difference. He's respected around the league, how he goes about his business. Just from being across there (with the Philadelphia Phillies), I don't have a relationship with him. I had a relationship with few other guys on that team. But just being across from him and watching him operate, you know, it's instant respect, and I think that's what most people will feel.
On the flip side, now the rotation needs to be remade with Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff having moved on. How challenging is that going to be?
Murphy: They've been pretty good. Those two are a big part of Brewer history, I think. Because we're so close to it we don't realize, really since 2018, both those guys have been just chipping away and a huge part of Brewer success. Are we going to miss them? Hell, yes. How do we recover? We're going to figure it out. The only way you can look at it is it's a great opportunity for new guys to step up and do what Woody and Corbin did. Those guys, again, I think people kind of look at this era of Brewers baseball as the most successful and you can't talk about it and not talk about Corbin or Woody. But they're gone now, much to our disappointment. We would have loved to hang onto them. But the game of baseball, the business of baseball doesn't allow that to happen all the time. The unfortunate incident with Woody doesn't allow that to happen the way we wanted it to. But we move on, we adjust and it'll be a great opportunity for other guys to become the next Woody and Burnes.
What do you think of DL Hall and Joey Ortiz, the players who came back to the Brewers in the Burnes trade?
Murphy: A lot. I like both these guys. When you do your research about them – and that's what our guys did before they made the move – these are guys that would have been tough to get if we didn't have a guy like Corbin to trade. Ortiz, I've got a little history with because he went to New Mexico State and I know their coach pretty well and have followed what he's done in the minor leagues and making his debut. What type of guy he is, the way he does things. DL Hall, I mean, everybody knows DL Hall. This guy was a talked-about guy coming out of high school, Valdosta, Georgia. His potential is incredible.
Will Hall be competing for a spot in the rotation?
Murphy: If we have a city rec-league basketball team, he's definitely in the starting five. I've seen some highlights. I'd be hard-pressed to say we've got five guys better than him. So, he's in our lineup if we're playing basketball in the Milwaukee city rec league.
How about the starting five for the Brewers?
Murphy: Yeah, a major-league baseball game, he's going to be out on the mound. He's going to pitch for us, I know that. But it's hard right now (to predict). Obviously, what a bonus it would be if he could join the rotation. But you kind of do what's best for the player, first and foremost. What's best for the player in these roles, how he can best serve himself right now ends up being best for the team, right? And with these young pitchers, if you try to force them into a different thing that they're not ready for, or force them into something that doesn't bring out his best self, then you're obviously hurting both the player and the team. So, we'll figure it all out.
Christian Yelich had a bounceback season in 2023. Do you foresee him still being the primary leftfielder, though, considering all the young outfield talent on hand? Or could he see more time at designated hitter?
Murphy: I think that the DH role in today's game serves a lot of different purposes. Not all teams have a permanent DH that they have penciled in there every day. So, we have (William) Contreras, and we want him in the lineup as much as possible. He can't catch 160 games, but he's going to try to, so we're going to have to taper that by letting him DH some. Christian is one of our older players. Very capable, but his body's got 10 years of major-league service on it. We've got to take care of that because we want him in there playing left field. But there'll be times for him to DH. So, between the two of them and some of our good young players, Hoskins coming off a pretty serious injury and missing the entire year (in 2023), you're going to want that sometimes (at DH). So, we're probably not going to have the standard DH. All three of those guys are going to get some time there.
Staying in the outfield, what kind of competition do you think you'll see with all those young horses running around out there?
Murphy: Tremendous competition. We've got some great ones. We've got some great ones, guys that have just got great potential and that you know their heads are in the right place. They're hungry. It's so fun. It'll all work out. We will be well-represented. I think the position-player group has a pretty good depth. And I think that's important, as we've seen. But yeah, the young energy means something. The young energy means something and that'll be a theme that I think you'll see. Then you've got (pitcher Wade) Miley, who's approaching 50.
One of those outfielders is Jackson Chourio, who after signing that big contract will have a lot of pressure on him. What do you see as the biggest challenge for him this spring?
Murphy: I think it's fine to have high expectations. I think you also have to be a little bit realistic with the kid. He's never faced major-league pitching, and it's difficult on everybody. It's difficult on the best players in the game. So, it's going to be difficult on him and we've got to be there for him and help him keep making adjustments. And I'm pretty confident he's going to do well.
Last year at this time, the bullpen was a major question mark. Now, it's probably the strongest area of the team. Would you agree?
Murphy: Yeah, I don't like to separate it. I know it's going to frustrate you guys a little bit. But I just don't like to separate bullpen, starters. Position players, offense, defense – I think it all affects each other. This is a team, and sorry to be this way, but you start breaking it down, 'Well, the bullpen is this.' Of course, we're trying to shore up every area. There's always going to be an area that needs more attention; that just happens over time as players are not going to be re-signed. It's obvious to our fans why we had to trade Corbin at this point. It's a good deal. It's good for the club overall in our situation, I think everybody understands it, you know? And I think that realistically, we're not always going to be starting-pitching heavy or relief-pitching heavy or have an abundance of outfielders. It's not always going to be that way; it's always going to kind of shift around. But what we've got to be aware of is, it's about the team. And we're going to shore up different areas. Like you said, coming into last year the bullpen was, quote, uncertain in terms of the names. But the front office put together a bunch of guys that had a chance, and they stepped up and did the job. And I think this year, the same types of things will happen where guys will step up that you don't expect. Players will take different paths to get to where they want to go. But all in all, I think we're always under construction and we're always moving forward.
Chourio will probably get the lion's share of the attention. But how do you see prospects like Tyler Black, Robert Gasser and others factoring into the team's success?
Murphy: You're going to see in spring training, they're all going to get a shot. They're all on the cusp. They've seen what happened with the guys that they played with. They saw (Joey) Wiemer and (Sal) Frelick and (Andruw) Monasterio. They've seen these guys come up – Brice Turang – and do well. So, that's probably a little bit of a motivator for them. They're saying, 'Hey, these guys are my teammates, and they're in the big leagues making an impact. Why not me?' And they're going to get that opportunity. So, hopefully they'll come through. We have 26 spots, but I think we're going to probably need 50-plus dudes to get through it all.
Craig Counsell was known for changing his lineups almost daily. How will you approach your alignments?
Murphy: Well, I think Couns was always worried about where guys were slotted. It's just, you're taking in a lot of information that we've never had in the past that allows you to see where some advantages are based on the other team's approach, with their bullpen, who's going to be in there at the end. You know, the old adage is,' The best hitters hit the most.' So, the best hitters hit at the top. You want those guys up there most often, right? In today's game, with matchups and all the things you have, sometimes that's altered a little bit, and I think that's what you saw (previously). Plus, we had so many young players and saw the roster change almost every year that I think Couns was in that position. Everybody would love to have a static lineup that you could just plug in. But when guys are in the big leagues at 20 and guys are in the big leagues at 23, it's kind of tough to get that consistency. Look, I would love to do that. I'd guess Yelich hits at the top, close to the top. (Hoskins) is going to be in the thick of things, too. I will hit William a lot. You guys can get together and think of the guys that you don't want to face (as the opponent), and they're going to be up there a lot.
Counsell and the Cubs will be in Maryvale the first week of Cactus League play. Have you remained in contact with him? How is your relationship these days?
Murphy: Let's be honest. I mean, Couns and I have going on a 40-year relationship. We're always going to have a relationship. I've known him as a recruited high school kid. I've known as a college player. I've known him as a minor-league player, a major-league player. A special assistant, a major-league manager. And we've stayed in close contact. The last eight years, very close contact. It changes now. We don't work for the same organization, and this is serious business. This isn't American Legion. So, the relationship takes on a little different role. It's a little funky. But, I've got to be honest, I've got deep respect for him and deep love for him and his family, and probably always will have.
Are the internal expectations still, despite the Burnes trade, that the Brewers are in position to defend their NL Central title?
Murphy: Like I said, my expectations are a lot higher than most people out there. To be quite honest – I know it may sound cliché – but I'm not looking at projected wins and I'm not worried about what the other teams are doing. I'm sure they're trying to get better, and I'm sure they're making moves that on paper look like this or look like that. I'm not worried about any of the paper moves. I'm worried about when the guys get to camp if we squeeze as much as we can to prepare them to play a 162-game regular season. And that's cliché I know, and I'm sorry about that. But it's really based in truth. I'm not worrying about other peoples' expectations. I'm worried about these guys believing and feeling like they can go out there and perform, and keeping them in the present. Not worrying about what happened last year or what somebody is predicting for us. Keeping them in the present moment and go forward.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers manager Pat Murphy answers questions heading into 2024
