Pat Murphy, the first-year manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, has a lighthearted and enjoyable style of management. At their spring facility in Arizona, he had initially met Sal Frelick while serving as Craig Counsell’s bench coach. After some lighthearted banter, Murphy used his connections to get Dustin Pedroia to teach Frelick infield skills.
Pat Murphy and Sal Frelick had a hilarious first encounter at the Milwaukee Brewers spring training facility.
Pat Murphy walked up to Sal Frelick in the spring of 2022 and said, “Hey man, are you a free agent or did we draft you?” In response, Frelick said he was asked where he was from and what position he played after being drafted. Being a native of Lexington, Massachusetts, Frelick told him that Dustin Pedroia was his favourite player. Murphy shook his head, turned to go, and remarked, “That guy sucks.”
Dustin Pedroia was coached by Pat Murphy at Arizona State.
While Pat Murphy has never led a baseball team for a full season, he has head coaching experience from his time as a college student. He was the coach of Dustin Pedroia at Arizona State, where he went on to teach the player for 14 amazing years, winning two World Series titles, four gold gloves, rookie of the year, MVP, and silver slugger awards.
Sal Frelick is ready to play second base or third base for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Murphy arranged for Pedroia and Frelick to meet for training last November after gaining authorization from Mark Attanasio, the owner of the Brewers. By the time they had completed, Pedroia felt comfortable enough to play infield defence if the team required him. The two worked on many different facets of the position. Frelick’s background as an infield player in college provided him with a solid base from the beginning.
