BOSTON – The embodiment of the 2025 Milwaukee Brewers is not going to be tricked by the 2026 Milwaukee Brewers.
A year ago, Caleb Durbin’s style of play in conjunction with his ascension from relative unknown to one of the top rookies in the National League served as the perfect image for the Brewers’ run to the best record in baseball and a berth in the National League championship series.
And as Durbin, who finished third in rookie of the year voting, and the Brewers bulldozed past the preseason prognostications and projects, manager Pat Murphy made sure to let it be known that his ballclub was doing it all as the underdog.
Rest assured, Murphy and the Brewers are going to take on a similar identity this year.
Good luck with that, says Durbin with a smile.
“The cat’s out of the bag,” Durbin said.
The 5-foot-6 third baseman’s scrappy, unorthodox style came to represent the Brewers as they made their summer surge, but since his February trade to Boston, he’s gained an outsider’s perspective of – and appreciation for – his former team.
“Everyone knows the way the Brewers play,” Durbin said, “especially after the run they had last year. But I think there’s more attention from other teams for the Brewers than maybe [is] perceived.
‘They’re not shocking anyone this year. Whether we did or not last year, I was on the inside at the time. Now I’m on the outside and nobody’s taking these guys lightly, I’ll tell you that much.”
The Brewers entered 2026 once again not picked to win the division by most public projection systems and pundits, which has served as the perfect fuel for Murphy’s messaging machine. But is the reality that the players around the league aren’t buying that narrative about Milwaukee anymore?
“I think so,” Durbin said. “Whatever [Murphy’s] reasoning behind his motivation for that is, he knows what he’s doing over there. But on the outside, I don’t think any teams are taking them lightly.”
The hot topic for Murphy during pregame media sessions at Fenway Park hasn’t been projections or predictions or even the Brewers themselves. It’s been Durbin, whose slow start has been the outcry of choice by Red Sox fans as their team has come out of the gates lethargically.
Murphy, who became Durbin’s biggest proponent in his rookie campaign and nicknamed him “Happy” for the way he felt watching him play, brought up the comparison to Dustin Pedroia, the Red Sox legend who Murphy coached at Arizona State.
“He’s uncommon and he’ll get through this,” Murphy said of Durbin. “There was another Boston Red Sock who was 5-foot-6 and started slow. I remember I got a phone call. Same thing. Durbin will be fine.”
Murphy stared into the TV camera lens.
“So for Red Sox fans, I’ve had a longstanding relationship with you and I’ve never lied to you,” he said. “This kid’s a winner.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Now on the other side, Caleb Durbin has a compelling observation about the Brewers
Reporting by Curt Hogg, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
