Pat Murphy’s third straight National League Manager of the Year award came with a fitting twist: he accepted it on Zoom from a hospital bed, still recovering from hip replacement surgery. It was an odd scene, sure, but also a perfect snapshot of the Milwaukee manager’s personality - direct, unfussy and locked in on the job.
That same no-nonsense edge is what Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast hosts Paul Hoynes and Joe Noga pointed to when they broke down why Murphy has become such a force, and why smaller-budget teams might want to study what the Brewers are doing.
“I don’t know if there’s many managers like him,” Hoynes said. “He’s kind of got a hard shell on him and he tells it like it is to players.
He’ll bench guys, he’ll bench his stars, he’ll bench his rookies if they don’t play the game the way that he thinks it should be played. But really the last three years during the regular season he’s managed pretty close to the best team in baseball.”
Murphy’s rise in Milwaukee came after Craig Counsell left for the Cubs, a move that initially put the organization on edge. As Hoynes put it, the Brewers likely didn’t fully know what they had when Murphy moved from bench coach to manager. Three Manager of the Year trophies later, that uncertainty looks badly misplaced.
A big part of Murphy’s success is the style of baseball he wants his team to play. Hoynes said it’s a clear identity: “The brand of baseball he likes, the brand of baseball they play has really separated him as a manager,” Hoynes said.
“It’s more old school baseball, more stolen bases and home runs, that kind of approach. Obviously, you manage to the personnel you have, and that is a younger team, a team that constantly puts pressure on the opposition, that pitches well, that has a killer bullpen.
It sounds a lot like Cleveland.”
That comparison makes sense. Milwaukee and Cleveland are working under similar financial constraints, leaning on young players and building around pitching and bullpen depth. The connection even extends to Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, who spent time as a player in Milwaukee before taking over in Cleveland.
Still, Murphy’s style isn’t foolproof. Hoynes pointed out the obvious downside: “Sometimes the blunt approach doesn’t work with the modern day player.” The challenge is staying honest without alienating the room, and Murphy has managed to keep that balance.
Jake Bauers is a strong example. He never found his footing in Cleveland, but after a couple of seasons with Murphy in Milwaukee, he turned into the NLCS MVP and picked up a World Series ring. That kind of turnaround says plenty about the environment Murphy creates - demanding, yes, but also consistent and clear.
Noga’s read was that authenticity matters. Big-league players can tell when a manager is being straight with them, and they tend to respond when the message feels real, even if it’s not always comfortable.
For small-market clubs that can’t cover roster flaws with heavy spending, that formula - pressure baseball, strong pitching development and a manager who doesn’t flinch - looks like a path worth following.
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For the Guardians, the fit is easy to see. They have room to add to the relief group and have been looking for depth that can soak up meaningful innings, especially from the left side. Hill is also being pursued by the Yankees, Mets, Giants and Dodgers, which suggests this could turn into a broader market for a pitcher who still has value even if he is no longer at his peak. [Read more 🡒]