No one says Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy needs to have all the answers right now, but even for someone who always seems to be one step ahead of everyone else, there are still big questions looming over his team. When discussing the team's decision to call up 21-year-old shortstop Cooper Pratt, as reported by Hunter Baumgardt, Murphy peeled back the curtain on some of his private discussions and why he feels confident the situation will work itself out quickly.
"The pieces fit easily. This is a kid that we've signed for [the] long-term [in] Cooper. We feel confident that he will be our shortstop of the future, and he's going to play," Murphy said. "But Joey [Ortiz] is a huge part of our organization [and] has been. We will never forget what he's done for us at shortstop and can do at shortstop again. But he also can play third [and] he can play second..."
The reigning National League Manager of the Year went into further detail about all the ways he can make the puzzle pieces fit — rotating between Ortiz and third baseman David Hamilton, shifting either of them to second base, giving Brice Turang more opportunities to rest, etc.
The point is, in the mind of the Brewers' manager, this situation seems like less of a problem and more of a luxury. He has as much positional flexibility as any clubhouse leader in the majors and sees a vision for how to make it work so long as everyone is bought in. But for as confident as he is, that inconsistency could come back to bite the Brewers as we inch closer to the postseason, where all bets are off.
Pat Murphy and the Brewers need to figure out their rotations before they get exposed in the postseason.
We're still a far way off from the start of the MLB Playoffs, but with the Brewers playing as well as they have this season, it's hard not to think about what this team could look like under the brightest lights. With one of the best young pitching rotations and a slew of eligible batters chomping at the bit to smack dingers, Milwaukee has as good a chance to make noise in the Playoffs as ever before.
However, if the Brewers find themselves toiling with this rotation deep into the season, trying to find a consistent rotation that keeps Cooper Pratt, Joey Ortiz, and David Hamilton equally involved, it could quickly become a broader issue, particularly on offense, where both Ortiz and Hamilton have already struggled to find a consistent groove.
That's a big part of why Pratt was called up in the first place — instant offense. Although it'll take a bit of time for him to adjust to the majors, as Murphy suggested in his press conference, Pratt is expected to be an impact player at the plate with solid plate discipline and a knack for making contact, even on some of the toughest pitches.
Given all the factors at play, now is probably the right time for Pat Murphy to get everyone on the same page. He said that six weeks ago, he prepared Ortiz for this possibility and that he's handling it with grace. That type of direct yet caring and attentive style of leadership is just what Milwaukee needs as it makes adjustments on the fly while still aiming for that ultimate goal of bringing a World Series home to Wisconsin.
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