Pat Murphy took over as Milwaukee Brewers manager last offseason after Craig Counsell jumped ship for a division rival. One year and one division title later, Murphy won NL Manager of the Year.
Murphy was named the winner on Tuesday, beating 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 the Philadelphia Phillies’ Rob Thomson 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 massive 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 has consistently punched above its weight.
Rewind to last offseason and the Brewers were in an uncomfortable spot.
Losing Counsell hurt. One of the most respected managers in MLB not only left eight-plus years for a record-setting five-year, $40 million deal, he joined a team many expected to knock the Brewers off their perch in the NL Central.
Also gone were team architect David Stearns, who also took more money from the Mets, and Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, whom the team opted to trade away for younger talent before he left in free agency. Rotation stalwart Brandon Woodruff was also out for the season with a shoulder injury. Other players left too, and their replacements weren’t exactly needle-moving.
Vegas didn’t like their odds to recover, with BetMGM giving them worse divisional 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 served as his bench coach for eight years. Men about to turn 65 years old are rarely a first pick for managerial positions, but Murphy’s experience with the organization was invaluable after a 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 previously worked for the Brewers. Their pitching staff was fluid, tying a franchise record with 17 different starting pitchers plus 12 relievers notching at least one save, while the offense posted its most productive season (777 runs) since 2009.
The Brewers ended up going 93-69 and winning the division, though they were stopped by Mendoza’s Mets in the wild-card round (that didn’t figure into the BBWAA voting, which is done at the end of the regular season).
Perhaps the most important part of the job was the handling of Jackson Chourio. The super-prospect made his MLB debut at age 19 and struggled heavily to start, hitting .210/.254/.327 through the end of May. The Brewers could have sent him back down to the minors or reworked his role in the offense, but they instead betted on his talent and stayed the course.
Their reward was a guy who hit .303/.358/.525 for the rest of the year and will be anchoring their lineup for years to come, with Murphy filling out his spot on the lineup card.