The Brewers announced their coaching staff under Pat Murphy for the 2026 season on Monday morning, including significant shakeups from last year’s group. Four existing coaches have assumed new roles, a few others have taken jobs elsewhere in the organization, and four have joined the big-league staff.
The first notable takeaway is that several coaches who have been heavily involved in game planning have been promoted to roles centered on those duties. Jason Lane has been elevated from third-base coach to offense and strategy coordinator; Jim Henderson from assistant pitching coach to pitching coordinator; and Daniel de Mondesert from assistant coach to game preparation specialist.
To fill the vacancies left by those changes, Matt Erickson will become the third-base coach, while continuing to coach infielders, and Juan Sandoval will be the new assistant pitching coach. The promotion continues Sandoval’s quick rise through the organization’s coaching ranks. He started as a pitching coach in the Dominican Republic in 2022, before becoming assistant coordinator of minor-league pitching, a role in which he roamed throughout the farm system.
The most notable shakeups may be to the hitting and baserunning staffs. The Brewers announced that former lead hitting coach Al LeBeouf and first base coach Julio Borbón will transition to front-office roles with an emphasis on player development and scouting. Eric Theisen has been promoted from assistant hitting coach to lead hitting coach, where he’ll be flanked by new hires Daniel Vogelbach and former Toronto Blue Jays hitting coach Guillermo Martinez. Former director of player development Spencer Allen will be the new first-base coach.
Vogelbach may be the most interesting hire. He’s the youngest of the bunch, and his emphasis on swing decisions as a player could gel nicely with how the Brewers coach plate discipline. He swung at just 47.7% of in-zone pitches during his career, preferring to offer only at those in his wheelhouse. Milwaukee hitters have baseball’s lowest in-zone swing rate over the past two seasons (62.1%), with Murphy saying that his young players must know which strikes not to swing at based on their bat paths.
Allen, who was previously the organization’s outfield and baserunning instructor, will look to lead a bounce-back at stealing bases. Coincidentally or not, the Brewers took a significant step back in that department last year, when Borbón replaced baserunning guru Quintin Berry. Murphy attributed it to more hesitant reads and jumps against opposing pitchers. Perhaps a new voice at first base will get them back to their more aggressive ways.
Pitching coach Chris Hook, bullpen coach Charlie Greene, and field coordinator Nestor Corredor will all return for 2026 in their existing roles. The other notable members of the 2025 staff were Conor Dawson, who left for a hitting coach job with the Royals, and Rickie Weeks, who also moves back to a front-office role after two years as Murphy’s lieutenant in the dugout.