Murphy, 56, was Counsell's college coach at Notre Dame from 1989-92, and the two have remained so close that when Counsell took over in Milwaukee on May 3, the Brewers asked permission of the Padres to hire Murphy, who was managing San Diego's Triple-A affiliate. The Padres declined, because they already had plans to elevate Murphy to interim manager at the Major League level after dismissing Bud Black on June 16, but he did not retain the job after the season.
Johnson, 44, spent the past three seasons as the Cubs' Minor League pitching coordinator after 11 years as pitching coach at Vanderbilt University, where he helped six players develop into first-round Draft picks including David Price, the No.