The case for Padres' Mike Shildt to win NL Manager of the Year over Pat Murphy

There's a prevailing thought that Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy will be the runaway winner for the 2024 NL Manager of the Year Award. And while Murphy is certainly deserving, neglecting San Diego Padres' skipper Mike Shildt is quite unreasonable.

Murphy took over the reins from Craig Counsell after he left Milwaukee for the North Side of Chicago. Counsell took over for dismissed David Ross and became the highest-paid manager in Major League Baseball.

Murphy has guided his Brewers ball club, despite losing former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes, to the top of the NL Central Division. The Brew Crew are well on their way to another postseason berth, so it's no wonder Murphy is being lauded as the frontrunner for the award. But what Shildt is doing in San Diego is arguably more impressive.

The case for Padres' Mike Shildt to win NL Manager of the Year over Pat Murphy

For starters, the NL West is a far more competitive division than the NL Central. While the Brewers own a gargantuan lead in the standings over teams like the struggling Cubs, the aging St. Louis Cardinals, and the ever-rebuilding Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds, the Padres are battling for supremacy in one of the toughest divisions in baseball.

The Los Angeles Dodgers spent $1 billion last offseason and boast a top of the lineup that features three former MVPs. LA was nearly every expert's pick to represent the National League in this year's World Series. And let's not forget the upstart the Arizona Diamondbacks who are proving that last year's run to the Fall Classic was no fluke. Even the San Francisco Giants added some big names this past winter and boast a better record than three of the Brewers' division rivals.

Then there's the matter of roster turnover. The Brewers traded Burnes and lost Brandon Woodruff for the year. But Milwaukee still has Freddy Peralta, Colin Rea, and one of the best bullpens in the league. The Brewers also promoted their top prospect Jackson Churio and added Rhys Hoskins.

Though the Brewers arguably lost more than they gained this past offseason, the Padres traded one of the best players on the planet. Juan Soto is no longer in San Diego. Neither is Seth Lugo, Nick Martinez, Michael Wacha, and Josh Hader. The Padres also lost the reigning Cy Young Award winner in Blake Snell.

Both Murphy and Shildt owe a ton of credit to their respective front office personnel. Both Matt Arnold in Milwaukee and AJ Preller in San Diego have done great work piecing together competitive teams that have a chance to represent the NL in this year's World Series. But while many pundits are surprised to see the Brewers back atop the NL Central once again, let's no pretend like those same folks were on the Padres' bandwagon.

All we're saying is that the chase for the NL Manager of the Year Award isn't a landslide, and the final month of the 2024 season may well determine who takes home the hardware.

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