Pat Murphy

Current Position: Brewers Bench Coach

Age: November 28, 1958 (60)

Managerial Experience: San Diego Padres (2015), El Paso Chihuahuas (AAA) (2014 – 2015),  Tuscon Padres (AAA) (2013), Eugene Emeralds (A) (2011 – 2012), Arizona State University (1995 – 2009), University of Notre Dame (1988 – 1994)

Out of all the managerial candidates the Mets have interviewed, Joe Girardi included, no one has anywhere near the managerial experience Murphy has. In fact, including college, Murphy has 22 years of managerial experience.

In terms of his collegiate career, Murphy is one of the best college managers of all-time. It wasn’t just his being the youngest ever head coach to 500 wins. It was also his ability to develop players. Murphy recruit and develop undrafted high school players, and he would set them on their path to becoming very good Major League players.

The players Murphy coached in college included Kole Calhoun, Craig Counsell, Andre Ethier, Jason Kipnis, Dustin Pedroia, and others. Murphy was able to get the most out of these young players partially because he was tough on them. It was also because he found both mental and physical aspects they needed to hone in order to get the most out of their talent.

While Murphy has been tough on his players, he apparently has been able to foster a special connection with those players. Case in point is when Counsell was hired as the Brewers manager, he selected Murphy has his bench coach. How Murphy came to be his bench coach is a story in and of itself.

While at Arizona State, he was selected by Baseball America as the 1998 Coach of the Year. He was also a four time PAC-10 Coach of the Year including 2009 when he took Arizona State to their fourth College World Series during his tenure. At that time, it would seem like he was on his way to continuing his storied career. Instead, he was on his way out.

While Murphy himself was cleared of all charges, Arizona State was sanctioned by the NCAA for its recruiting and lack of organizational controls. While cleared, Murphy was forced to resign. On the resignation, Murphy was clearly stung by it saying, “It hurt very much, mostly because our program was so healthy and was doing such good things besides winning and turning out big leaguers.” (Kyle Glaser, Baseball America).

His resignation opened the door for him to manage professionally. First, he started doing it int he minor leauges, where like in college, his players improved and his teams won. Eventually, after the San Diego Padres would fire Bud Black, Murphy would be promoted from Triple-A to the majors.

Of note to Mets fans, Murphy was the Padres manager on July 30, 2015 when the Padres defeated Jeurys Familia and the New York Mets in that rain shortened game. From there, the Padres would get close but would never quite get to the .500 mark. During his tenure, the Padres were 42-54. Ultimately, Murphy would not be retained, and he would leave the Padres organization for his current role.

With the Brewers, he has been a part of a coaching staff which has been very forward thinking, especially in terms of their use of bullpenning. The Brewers have also seen Christian Yelich emerge as one of the best players in all of baseball. While Murphy is not the one calling the shots, he has been a part of this process.

What They Say

Craig Counsell: “When you go to college, you’re growing up, you’re learning about baseball, about life. It’s an impressionable time in your life, and I learned a lot from him. More than anything, I think he was a person who made me mentally tough, because he challenges you a lot.” (Adam McCalvy, MLB.com)

Glendon Rusch: “Before it was the “norm” Pat Murphy transitioned out of a successful 20+ year division 1 college coaching career into professional baseball and became a big league manager and bench coach. He quickly became one of my favorite coaches I had the pleasure of being around during my first year as a coach with the Padres. I think Murph will be a great big league manager and his guys will love playing for him!!”

Cory Spangenberg: “I think this was a good fit on paper for me. I think the way they coach and the way they play fits my personality. Having Murphy here is just like an added bonus.” (Robert Murray, The Athletic).

Recommendation

Well, Murphy may not have been the bombshell we were all promised, his candidacy has lead to an explosion of bewilderment. Mostly, this is because Murphy is far from a household name, and based upon reports, he was not a candidate for any of the other jobs open this offseason.

In some ways, Murphy does seem like a very good fit. In college, he has shown an ability to get the most out of his young talent, which based upon the composition of this roster, it is something this Mets team can use. While he’s notably tough, we see with Counsell his players respect him. More than that, we see with players like Yelich, they get better.

It would seem the main objection to his candidacy is he’s not well known. However, that does not mean he’s not eminentely qualified. In fact, in a crowd of novices, he really stands out. When you are looking to turn the page from Mickey Callaway and his complete lack of experience before being hired by the Mets, Murphy could be the perfect yin to Callaway’s yang.