Brewers manager Pat Murphy has done what no manager in Major League Baseball has ever done: win the National League Manager of the Year Award three straight times.
MLB announced Tuesday night that Murphy earned the honor again, adding another line to a résumé that has grown fast in Milwaukee. He has spent only three full seasons in the big-league dugout, yet in that short stretch he has already helped guide the Brewers to their first-ever World Series triumph in October and now stands alone as the first skipper to capture this award three years in a row.
That kind of run is rare for a reason. Manager of the Year voting usually leans toward surprise, so once a club becomes a known contender, its manager tends to lose some of that edge.
Even back-to-back wins are unusual. Murphy has blown past that standard.
The case for him goes beyond expectations. In a short time, he has built a reputation as the best manager in baseball right now and, maybe, one of the best of the recent era.
He did not get his first major-league managing job until his mid-60s, but he has already checked off nearly every box for a Cooperstown conversation except longevity. That last piece is the one that will be hardest to add, though the argument for him is already strong enough that he could still find his way into the Hall without it.
This award often comes down to two things: beating the odds and having a personality that sticks. Murphy has delivered on both.
Milwaukee entered 2025 with modest expectations even after reaching the NLCS and winning a third straight NL Central title, in part because the club traded ace Freddy Peralta over the winter and carried its usual lower-than-average payroll. Then the Brewers had to absorb a last-minute Caleb Durbin trade on the eve of spring training, lose Quinn Priester for the entire season before it started, and later watch prized bullpen addition Angel Zerpa go down with Tommy John surgery. Brandon Woodruff, who took a qualifying offer and a $22-million salary over the winter, also spent much of the year dealing with repeated velocity drops tied to a recurrence of his major shoulder trouble.
The lineup never settled easily, either. Early hand injuries to Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn forced Murphy to juggle the batting order for the first six weeks.
When Sal Frelick and Joey Ortiz struggled in the first half, Milwaukee called up rookies Cooper Pratt and Luis Lara, and Murphy had to keep the veterans engaged while bringing the newcomers along. On the pitching side, he spent most of the season with only two dependable starters: Jacob Misiorowski, plus Kyle Harrison in the first half and Logan Henderson in the second.
Through all of it, Murphy kept the group moving. He has become a media favorite for his long answers about the game and his sharp jabs at reporters, but inside the clubhouse he has also shown a feel for handling volatile personalities and getting more out of players than many expected when he got the job.
The roster has kept changing around him, too. After his first season, the Brewers lost Willy Adames and Devin Williams.
After his second, they lost Peralta, Durbin and Isaac Collins. Each year has required a new version of the team, and each year Milwaukee has stayed right near the top.
That consistency is a big reason voters gave Murphy the nod over NL East managers Don Mattingly and Walt Weiss.
In Other News...
Pat Murphy Added Another Brewers Milestone To His Championship Legacy
Pat Murphy keeps adding to a Brewers run that already felt hard to top, and now his latest honor only deepens the standard he has set in Milwaukee. After guiding the club to a franchise-record 103 wins and a World Series title in 2026, Murphy was named the BBWAA National League Manager of the Year for the third straight season, a stretch of recognition that speaks to both the consistency of the team and the way he has shaped it.
The backdrop makes the award even more striking. Murphy spent much of the season managing through pain before undergoing hip replacement surgery, and he accepted the latest honor from a Milwaukee hospital bed. For a manager who has already helped deliver the biggest prize in franchise history, the milestone adds another layer to a legacy that keeps growing, even as the next chapter is still being written. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Are Already Facing A Familiar Bullpen Question Next Season
The Brewers spent part of their roster housekeeping this week making room for prospect protection, and the bullpen picture for next season is already starting to take shape around that move. Milwaukee has long leaned on a flexible relief mix, and the front office appears headed right back to that model, with optionable arms expected to cycle through the staff as the club manages workloads over the course of the year.
That approach also leaves the door open for reinforcements from Triple-A or outside the organization, which is where the next layer of intrigue comes in. Garrett Stallings and Colton Gordon are among the names in the mix for those shuttle roles, giving the Brewers a few internal possibilities as they try to piece together another workable bullpen without locking themselves into a fixed group too early. [Read more 🡒]
Logan Hendersons Rookie Finish Leaves Brewers Fans Thinking What If
Logan Hendersons rookie season gave the Brewers a glimpse of what could be coming next in their rotation, even if the official awards race never fully caught up to the quality of his work. While Kevin McGonigle and Sal Stewart took home the BBWAA Rookie of the Year honors in their leagues, Henderson quietly put together a strong first impression in Milwaukee, finishing with a 2.47 ERA across 98.1 innings and showing the kind of poise the club can build around.
The frustrating part for Brewers fans is how much more there might have been. A late start and a month on the injured list limited his chances to pile up the innings and visibility that often sway award voters, leaving his season feeling more like a preview than a finished product. Even so, the Brewers have every reason to view Henderson as a key piece of what comes next, and his rookie finish only sharpens the sense that his best work is still ahead. [Read more 🡒]