Walker McKinven Could Be the Brewers' Most Impactful Offseason Coaching Loss

When Pat Murphy was named the National League Manager of the Year Tuesday night, he emphasized the role of his entire coaching staff in the Brewers’ success. A key member of that group will not return next year, as new White Sox manager Will Venable announced on Tuesday that Walker McKinven is joining his staff as bench coach. McKinven follows Quintin Berry as the second coach to depart Milwaukee for a promotion in Chicago this offseason, and he won’t be the last bright baseball mind to leave in the coming years. However, his exit may be among the most significant.

The 35-year-old spent nine seasons with the Brewers, including the last five in the dugout as an influential figure within the team’s run-prevention infrastructure. He didn’t always garner the same public recognition as Chris Hook and Charlie Greene, but he was nearly as vital as a game-planning, pitch-sequencing, and catching savant.

In 2024, McKinven operated under the blanket title of run prevention coordinator, which reflected his hand in multiple aspects of the Brewers’ 88 ERA-. That figure ranked second-best in baseball. He was a bridge between the front office and the dugout, synthesizing relevant data so coaches and players could understand and apply it.

McKinven was instrumental in identifying and implementing successful pitch usage tweaks for countless Brewers pitchers, giving Hook needed information for his hands-on work and freeing him to focus more on physical adjustments. The pair led daily game-planning meetings together with pitchers and catchers. During games, Hook, McKinven, and assistant pitching coach Jim Henderson would be in near-constant conversation along the dugout rail.

He also worked closely with catchers on techniques and mechanical adjustments to improve their receiving. McKinven was heavily involved in the defensive transformations of Omar Narváez and William Contreras, two catchers other organizations thought could not stay behind the plate.

When a pitcher productively transformed his pitch mix and how he attacked hitters after landing in Milwaukee, McKinven was part of the success story. When a recent Brewers catcher turned into an excellent pitch framer seemingly overnight, it was often because McKinven tweaked his stance and ran him through drills that retrained his arm, wrist, and hand movements to better guide pitches just off the plate toward the edges of the strike zone.

It was only a matter of time before other organizations noticed McKinven’s impact and offered him a higher-ranking job. As the White Sox bench coach, he figures to have increased responsibility and authority throughout a full-blown rebuild, not to mention a higher salary. He’s long deserved the opportunity.

The Brewers have a deep organizational coaching staff, built to withstand the loss of any individual in the big-league ranks. However, McKinven’s departure arguably leaves bigger shoes to fill than others. Berry’s instincts and preparation as a baserunning and outfield sherpa were valuable, but many of the straightforward principles he preached should be easy to uphold without him. He laid the groundwork for what should be a sustainable system.

Game-planning and pitch-calling are arts predicated on several constantly changing factors, including scouting reports, pitch characteristics, and reading swings within a plate appearance. There is no universally agreed-upon methodology, and the process varies from one pitcher to the next. That’s why the Brewers have an army of pitching strategists. McKinven’s impact within that system was tremendous, and his success may not be as replicable as that of a baserunning or outfield coach.

The Brewers still employ several coaches and analysts who are knowledgeable in the pitch sequencing realm, including Hook, so losing McKinven is hardly a death sentence for the pitching staff’s success. However, there may be short-term bumps in the road as they try to backfill the excellent analysis and communication he brought to the staff.

The change poses a new challenge for Hook, who will be without one of his right-hand men of several years. Regardless of whom the Brewers tab with more responsibilities in McKinven’s stead, how complex information makes its way from the scouting department to in-game pitch-calling and receiving will look slightly different in 2025. If a coaching absence will be deeply felt next season, it will be McKinven’s.