The Pirates are expected to hire Astros pitching coach Bill Murphy for the same position, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports. Pittsburgh has a vacancy when former pitching coach Oscar Marin did not re-sign. Assistant pitching coach Brent Strome will also not be returning to the team.
Murphy has been Houston’s coach since 2016. He was first hired as the pitching coach for a rookie-level Greenville team. Murphy was promoted to Single-A Triple-A Corpus Christi in 2017 and Double-A Corpus Christi the following season. In 2021, he became the assistant pitching coach for the major league club, coincidentally working under Strome (then the Houston pitching coach) in his first season. Strome resigned at the end of that year, so Houston promoted Murphy and Josh Miller to the co-pitching coach position.
Houston’s pitching staff hasn’t missed a beat since Strome left. Over the past four seasons, they lead MLB with a 3.61 ERA. Only the Braves have a higher strikeout rate during that span. Their ERA fell to 11th this year, but led MLB in strikeout rate at 24.9%. No team gets more swing hits.
The Astros already had a good pitching staff when Murphy and Miller took the lead. Hunter Brown’s However, Ace Rise was under their guidance. Astros pitchers have dealt with a variety of injuries over the past few years, including french justice of the peace, Ronel Blanco and Jason Alexander Each time during that time there has been a solid or better season.
Murphy worked with an arguably more talented team in Pittsburgh. Paul Skenes One of the few better pitchers in baseball than Brown. bubba chandler, Braxton Ashcraft and Mike Burrows may both be in the Opening Day rotation, while Jared Jones Will likely return from elbow surgery in the second half. Mickey Keller After three consecutive years of stellar first halves, the team’s performance has gradually declined. It’s unlikely he’ll be an ace by the time he’s 30, but it would be a boon if the Buccaneers can keep him as the #2/3 he is throughout the season.
The Astros now need to decide whether to give Miller the full-time job or hire a new combine pitching coach. They are already revamping their offensive coaching after the resignations of co-coaches Alex Cintron and Troy Snitker.
