"Tools-Wise He Has A Much As Anybody" - How Does Pat Murphy See Oliver Dunn's Role Developing In 2025?

Pat Murphy speaks as highly of Oliver Dunn as many of his most fervent supporters, who have full faith in his toolset and natural abilities. With Matt Trueblood on site, we've been able to get some firsthand insight into how the Brewers see Dunn progressing this year. It seems they've seen positive signs in spring training and have a clear goal in mind for the athletic infielder this season. 

"We put him in a tough role. Young player, never played above Double A and we're pinch-hitting him. It's pretty tough for a kid to walk in and do that." 
The 2024 season was a baptism of fire for Oliver Dunn. As Murphy alluded to, his lack of top-flight experience combined with how the Brewers used him made it difficult to feel settled and at home in the big leagues. Murphy went on to talk about some tentativeness in his at-bats, which bears out with many called strikes and passiveness inside the strike zone. It's something Dunn himself has said he intends to put right this season; as a player with a great eye at the plate, you would expect it to be more of a state of mind than any sort of major decision-making overhaul.

"The injury set him back. He hasn't had the at-bats. So we're trying to get him as many at-bats in spring as possible."
The Brewers saw Dunn's talent. Still, his overall lack of seasoning meant that he struggled to put his best foot forward in the majors through a lack of experience with big league "stuff" and his internal confidence with how he might fare against such quality of opposition. Having spent all of 2023 in Double-A, it was a big ask, and the Brewers wanted to get him significant playing time in Nashville to help bridge that transition. Sadly, Dunn has a checkered injury past, and it reared its ugly head once more, sidelining him for the rest of the season.

So this spring, the Brewers are trying to get him as many at-bats as possible early in games, facing off against the highest caliber of stuff they can get. More than anything, this is what Dunn needs to take the next step, but these at-bats might not indicate an Opening Day roster spot in the same way it might have for someone like Jake Bauers were he in the same situation. Dunn has played a lot in the early goings of spring, and it may be more for developmental reasons than competitive reasons at this point.

"He's had a terrific spring so far, and I don't mean just the results."
Pat Murphy waxed lyrical about the ability Dunn has talent-wise and tools-wise, and it seems the spring performances have stood out to the Brewers manager. Murphy referenced the quality of his ball strike recognition, the lowered swing and miss in the zone, and the absence of the tentativeness Murphy says plagued him in 2024. Note that some stats on this matter are slightly skewed as parks without Trackman/Statcast show up as three swinging strikes, but having followed Dunn's televised appearances, he does seem to be swinging and missing less.

Part of this is due to the fact that many pitchers are pounding the strike zone, but even then, Dunn whiffed a heck of a lot in-zone during 2024, so it doesn't make the observation moot. It is tough to quantify any spring training results; however, so he may need more time in competitive gameplay to show that the changes he's worked on this offseason around his contact point and zone coverage are providing tangible benefits.

Oliver Dunn remains one of the most enigmatic, tantalizing talents on the Brewers' 40-man roster. Pat Murphy seems to agree, but perhaps as more of an impact player later in the season after some more "seasoning" in Triple-A. What do you think? Have his early spring performances won you over? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!