With all the talk surrounding Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta’s future with the team, it can be easy to overlook the fact that the organization has another key arm returning in right-hander Brandon Woodruff.
In November, Woodruff accepted his one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer to return to the Brewers, a move that has manager Pat Murphy excited.
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“He’s an old school guy,” Murphy said at the Winter Meetings. “He knows he knows what he’s doing on that circle. He’s most comfortable on that pitching mound. He’s really special. He’s great in the clubhouse because he’s authentic as hell. He’s Mississippi through and through. He can’t hide it and doesn’t try to hide it.”
“He takes that mound and he pitches and he’s not trying to trick you. He’s saying let’s go mano a mano and whatever if it’s 91 or 98, he’s coming at you. A great example for young pitchers you talk about.”
Last season, Woodruff made 12 starts and compiled a 7-2 record and a 3.20 ERA despite working his way back from a major right shoulder surgery he underwent in October 2023. Several setbacks not related to his shoulder also caused him to miss time in 2025. However, his return to the mound was electric.
Another returner for the Brewers is first baseman Andrew Vaughn, who made his way to Milwaukee from the Chicago White Sox in a June 13 trade. Since arriving, he has experienced a career resurgence.
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In 48 games with Chicago last season, Vaughn struggled mightily at the plate; posting a .189 batting average with 43 strikeouts. Once he donned a Brewers jersey, his numbers skyrocketed as he slashed “.308/.375/.493 with an .869 OPS and nine home runs.
Despite Vaughn’s drastically improved play, Murphy is not taking credit for his improvement.
“It’s not what I do with them, but… You know, Andrew Vaughn was always a good major league hitter,” Murphy said. “And then he hit a bump, you know, and nothing was working. And then the organization is going in a little bit [of a] different direction. They’re paying him a pretty good chunk for a player. And so, he gets on the wrong side of it. And then we get the benefit of him coming over. Hoskins gets hurt. He gets an opportunity. And it just locks him in, and he just takes off. It was a beautiful thing to be part of.”
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