Padres’ Former Manager Says He Wasn’t Ready for the Job

Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy was the interim manager of the San Diego Padres nine years ago. He, not current Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, was chosen to replace Bud Black for the bulk of the 2015 season after Black was fired.

Looking back this week on “The Show” podcast with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman, Murphy said he wasn’t ready for the job at the time.

San Diego hired Murphy in 2010 as a baseball operations assistant in the front office. He earned a promotion the following year in 2011. Over the years he continued to reach higher, which landed him in the Padres’ Triple-A affiliates in Tucson and El Paso.

Then in June 2015, Padres general manager A.J. Preller asked Murphy to become the interim manager following the firing of Black.

Murphy’s record at the interim manager in San Diego was a lowly 42-54, hardly an improvement over the man he replaced.

“The Padres situation, I wasn’t ready for it. It was an eclectic bunch. Still, I wasn’t ready for the major leagues at that point,” Murphy said on the podcast. “I think I could lead people, but I didn’t really know the team. I didn’t do great things. I don’t blame them for not rehiring me. I wish they would have, and I think life would be different, but maybe not better. I’ve learned a lot of lessons.”

Murphy took over a clubhouse that was extremely loyal to Black. The coaching staff included Roberts and Mark Kotsay, both future managers. And the Padres trio at the time in Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, and James Shields, didn’t know Murphy.

“I didn’t know the major league game, and the staff I had around me were guys that all wanted the job or had a great relationship with Buddy, as I did,” Murphy recounted his time as Padres interim manager to The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Jeff Sanders. “I had a great relationship with Buddy. I still do. … Dave Roberts, I have a friend for life because of it. I met some great people. Nobody did anything wrong to me. (The Padres) gave me a great opportunity … but it was a difficult memory.

Murphy landed in Milwaukee as a bench coach the following year in 2016. He helped the team win three National League Central titles over the last six years as the bench coach.

Now, Murphy is at the helm of another MLB team as the manager of the Brewers. His team ranks atop the NL Central, a stark contrast from his record in San Diego.

“But that is something I’d love to help somebody else go through it someday and realize they can be themselves,” Murphy said. “That’s why being with [Craig] Counsell for eight years as the bench coach, really that San Diego experience helped me really understand how to be good to the manager and how to help the manager if you can.”