Pirates Could See Huge Boost From New Pitching Coach

Background

Before launching his professional coaching career with the Astros in 2016, Murphy built his foundation in baseball in New Jersey. He was a pitcher at Roselle Catholic High School and a first baseman at Wagner College. He then transitioned into coaching, holding positions at both Georgetown University and Brown University.

Murphy, 36, has spent his entire professional coaching career with the Astros, building a reputation as a key architect of one of baseball's most dominant pitching staffs. Hired initially as a rookie ball pitching coach in 2016, he steadily ascended through the organization, becoming the minor league pitching coordinator in 2019 and later the assistant pitching coach for the major league team in 2021.

After the 2021 season, he was elevated to the role of major league pitching coach, a position he held for four seasons through 2025. Since then, the Astros have been one of the strongest pitching staffs in baseball.

During his tenure working alongside Josh Miller, Astros pitchers led the majors in team ERA (3.61) from the start of the 2022 season and ranked second in strikeouts per nine innings. This period included the 2022 World Series title, a season in which the staff led the American League in ERA (2.90), WHIP (1.09), and opposing batting average (.212).

Player Development Ability

A significant aspect of Murphy's profile is his strong background in player development. In his role as minor league pitching coordinator, he was instrumental in working with the Astros' young, Latin American pitchers such as Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, and Luis Garcia. Murphy's bilingual abilities allowed him to communicate effectively with Spanish-speaking players, often making winter trips to the Dominican Republic to check on their progress. He also helped transition their success from the minor leagues to Major League Baseball, where he eventually joined them in Houston.

Valdez, now 31, enters this off-season as one of the most sought after starting pitchers in free agency. The Dominican native originally signed with Houston as a 21-year-old international free agent in 2015. This is considered old for an international free agent, as most sign in their teenage years. Valdez, however, bucked all trends to eventually emerge as one of the most consistent starters in the league.

Since debuting in 2018, Valdez has a 3.36 ERA in over 1,080 innings pitched. He's a two-time All-Star, and a World Series Champion in 2022. Valdez also pitched a no-hitter in 2023. His curveball is considered one of the best breaking pitches in baseball, and some credit has to go towards Murphy for encouraging the development of his elite ability to spin the ball.

Javier and Garcia were also unheralded signings that eventually turned into solid MLB starters. But it's Murphy's latest work with Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown that may be the most impressive. Brown, a fifth round pick out of Wayne State University in 2019, had a breakout season this year, announcing his arrival as one of the top starters in baseball. The flame-throwing righty had a 6.1 WAR season, pitching to a 2.43 ERA with 206 strikeouts in 185.1 innings pitched. He was recognized as an American League All-Star for the first time in his career.

Could Bubba Chandler Have a Hunter Brown-like Breakout?

Could Murphy see similar results this season from Bubba Chandler? It's a plausible scenario, especially given Chandler's own ability. While Chandler won't throw close to 185 innings this season, Brown's development is a good map for the Pirates to follow with Chandler, a similarly talented right-hander with elite velocity and spin.

This developmental experience will be crucial in Pittsburgh, where he will oversee a talented young rotation featuring NL Cy Young favorite Paul Skenes, as well as other promising arms like Chandler, Mike Burrows, and Braxton Ashcraft. His Spanish-speaking ability will be useful for pitchers like Johan Oviedo and Dennis Santana.

The decision to bring in Murphy comes after the Pirates opted not to renew the contract of previous pitching coach Oscar Marin. A report from MLB.com writer Alex Stumpf indicated that the change was "driven by desire — with player input — to improve even more and take next step as staff".

Despite the Pirates' pitching staff having an excellent 2025 season — finishing seventh in MLB in ERA and leading the league in shutouts — the organization believed a change was necessary to help its pitchers reach their full potential.

Does Murphy's Signing Indicate Front Office Commitment?

Especially with a crucial season upcoming, where the front office seems to be taking a "playoffs or bust" mentality. It remains to be seen if they are fully committed to that line of thought, but this move is a step in the right direction for the organization. It's rare that a personnel move by the Pittsburgh Pirates is universally considered as the right one, yet that's what the general sentiment has been since the news about Murphy came out.

Murphy has existing ties to the Pirates' organization; he and manager Don Kelly were both in the Astros organization at the same time in 2019, and he also worked under former Pirates assistant coach Brent Strom during his time in Houston. His hiring signals the Pirates' intention to build upon their recent pitching success and compete for the postseason.