Could Pat Murphy's praise lead this Brewers newcomer to an Opening Day rotation spot?

Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy recently revealed two pitchers who are locked into the starting rotation for Opening Day: Jacob Misiorowski and Chad Patrick. With Brandon Woodruff unlikely to be ready for the opener and Quinn Priester possibly headed for the injured list, questions remain about who will get the Opening Day start and who will round out the rest of the rotation.

Fortunately, the Brewers have plenty of starting pitching depth, making the competition for the early rotation spots a bit of a dogfight. Candidates include Kyle Harrison, Brandon Sproat, Shane Drohan, Robert Gasser, Logan Henderson, Carlos Rodriguez, and Coleman Crow, but DL Hall and Aaron Ashby are being built up as well.

Of this group, Murphy has been singing praises on one particular pitcher, and that could potentially indicate that a spot in the starting rotation on Opening Day is in his future.

Could Pat Murphy's praise lead to Shane Drohan grabbing an Opening Day rotation spot?

So far this spring, 27-year-old left-hander Drohan has put together a pair of solid multi-inning appearances. On February 27, he tossed two scoreless innings, allowing just one, hitting one batter and striking out three. His next outing came on March 4, when he threw three more scoreless innings, gave up one hit, issued one walk, and recorded four strikeouts.

After his most recent performance, Murphy seemed most impressed with Drohan so far this spring. Dominic Controneo captured audio of the Brewers manager saying, "Drohan sticks out the most. Sproat was great. Drohan was exceptional."

Murphy went on to further compliment Drohan’s stuff on the mound, as well as his ability to remain composed. He also pointed to Drohan’s experience, noting that he’s an older player who has been around the block. Murphy added that he’s confident fans will see him in the big leagues at some point and said he wouldn’t be surprised if Drohan turns into a successful major leaguer.

With rotation spots still up for grabs, performances like Drohan’s this spring are hard to ignore. The Brewers value depth and versatility on the pitching staff, and strong outings early in camp can go a long way toward earning an opportunity. Whether that chance comes right away or later in the season, Drohan is making a compelling case that he deserves to be part of the conversation as soon as Opening Day.