MILWAUKEE (AP) — Pat Murphy says he couldn’t have imagined going directly from coaching in the college ranks to managing in the major leagues.
But the Milwaukee Brewers skipper — who previously worked as a head coach at Arizona State and Notre Dame — is confident Tony Vitello can make a successful transition from coaching the University of Tennessee to managing the San Francisco Giants.
“I’m excited for this guy,” Murphy said. “I hear great things. I’ve met him before, but I’m not close associates with him. I’ve heard great things about him. They have a great team and a great organization, so I think it’s going to work, and I don’t think that can happen a lot. I know I wouldn’t have been ready.”
Murphy’s success has lent credence to the notion that a college coach could thrive as a major league manager.
After coaching over two decades at Notre Dame and Arizona State, Murphy has led the Brewers to consecutive NL Central titles since taking over as the manager. He was named the NL Manager of the Year in 2024.
But his situation was very different from the circumstances surrounding Vitello’s hire.
Vitello, who led Tennessee to a 2024 College World Series title, has no pro experience. He is going directly from college to the majors.
Murphy ended his college coaching career in 2009 when he left Arizona State amid an NCAA investigation. He started working in the San Diego Padres’ organization the following year, had a stint as their interim manager in 2015, and then spent eight seasons as Milwaukee’s bench coach.
“What I know for sure is that I couldn’t have made the jump successfully,” Murphy said. “Because it’s two different games. I say it’s like harness racing and thoroughbred racing. What facilitates that thing is if you have a president or other group of people around you that are going to help you facilitate that and the differences.”
Murphy believes the 47-year-old Vitello has that in Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey.
“It’s one of those things that if you have everything in place helping you through it, I think the best parts of him can come out, the needed parts, building the connections, the impact on players, the parts that he’s not used to,” Murphy said. “There will be people around him to fill him in. Buster Posey is not dumb. He knows what he’s doing. He knew the scrutiny, and he knew the importance of this hire. And I think it’ll go well for them.”
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