PITTSBURGH -- Nature has become Bill Murphy’s escape. The Pirates’ pitching coach and New Jersey native has made trips to North America’s top national parks, from Yosemite and Yellowstone to Zion and Banff.
With the 2026 season in the rearview, Murphy returned to his outdoor passion on a family trip to Jackson Hole, Wyo., and Grand Teton National Park. There, he explored moose and buffalo and honed in on his passion for photography. It was a valuable getaway.
“You try to unwind and separate yourself from the baseball season after the season's over and reflect and see what you can do better,” Murphy said.
Murphy spoke exclusively with MLB.com over the phone this week, fresh off his trip and a month removed from his first season as the Pirates’ pitching coach.
The first year of Murphy’s tenure included a young rotation revolving around reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes. It also featured a bullpen that flipped from one of the worst in baseball to one of the best after the Trade Deadline. With time to reflect, Murphy sees room for improvement across the staff. That includes himself.
“Personally, I think I could do a better job of helping pitchers get better quicker and making adjustments quicker,” Murphy said. “Given the fact that it was my first year with the organization, I at times didn't know what got guys going or what they needed. So I definitely learned that and am continuing to try to learn that. But I don't think you can ever be good enough at making adjustments quicker, and I hope that I'm able to do that even more next year.”
“I'm still waking up thinking to myself, 'How are we going to get better? How's this pitching staff going to get better next year?’”
Murphy pointed to the development of young pitchers, particularly Mason Montgomery, Wilber Dotel and Bubba Chandler, as individual successes. He saw flashes of brilliance in stretches, but hopes to find consistency over the course of a season. Quicker adjustments are the key in Murphy’s eyes.
“I think that's the most important thing. You have to be able to learn from your failures and your shortcomings and use that to then try to get better, not next year, but in that moment,” Murphy said.
No pitcher will be under the spotlight more than Skenes next season. After posting a 1.96 ERA over his first two seasons, Skenes finished with a 3.82 ERA in Year 3. His average four-seam velocity dropped 1.3 mph, and his walk rate (2.53 per nine innings) hit a career high.
Still, Skenes was an All-Star for the third time, and he produced 200 strikeouts. Murphy sees a player who will be better off after hitting a road bump. He’s spoken with Skenes about delivery mechanics and trusts the ace to learn.
“Paul spoiled people a little bit for the first two seasons. Just the greatness that he had -- and he is a great pitcher,” Murphy said. “The third season that he had was really, really good, but he leaves you wanting more because of the first two seasons. And there is no doubt in my mind he's going to do everything he possibly can to be the pitcher that he is.”
When reflecting on the bullpen, Murphy acknowledged that the group was “trying to find our way early in the year.” He pointed to Gregory Soto adjusting back into a closer role and Montgomery still establishing himself. Then there were veteran pieces who couldn’t find themselves soon enough.
“I wish I could have helped Dennis Santana more. I wish I could have helped Justin Lawrence more. I think that comes down to me,” Murphy said.
Once Montgomery emerged as the closer and Pittsburgh added veterans Kirby Yates and Luke Weaver at the Deadline, the bullpen thrived. It turned from the 17th-ranked group by FanGraphs WAR at 2.3 over 441 2/3 innings to the No. 2-ranked unit, with 3.9 WAR over its final 216 2/3 innings.
Helping develop the next wave of bullpen arms will be Astros Triple-A pitching coach Sean Buchanan, who is reportedly joining the Pirates to work in the upper levels of the organization’s Minor League system. Murphy worked with Buchanan in Houston and described him as a “very curious pitching coach” who’s always looking for an edge.