Milwaukee Brewers Extend Manager Craig Counsell

Photo Courtesy of The New York Times

By: Chris Larson 

When you think of the Milwaukee Brewers, you might begin to think of Miller Park (well, at least that's the current name of the ballpark through the end of the coming season), Bernie Brewer, or even the yellow slide that overlooks left field. Furthermore, you might think of Christian Yelich, Ryan Braun, Lorenzo Cain, and the like. Among that group, you might also think of manager, Craig Counsell.

Craig Counsell has become a staple of the Milwaukee Brewers organization and someone that not only the organization embraces at a high level, but the entire fanbase embraces. You see, Counsell first made his mark on the Brewers organization when he played for the team over the course of six seasons and there were plenty of moments that made Brewers fans in Milwaukee and across the country celebrated over that time. Now, that Counsell is almost ten years removed from the game as a player, he has started his own legacy in Milwaukee as a the organization's manager.

Counsell was originally named manager of the Milwaukee Brewers in May of the 2015 regular season and helped the Brewers to endure those losing seasons as a franchise. The team finished the 2015 regular season fourth in the National League Central with a 68-94 record. The 2016 regular season didn't bring any more promise either as the team once again finished fourth in the division with a slightly better record of 73-89. That season though Milwaukee finished 30.5 games back of the division leading Chicago Cubs who would go onto win the World Series later that season.

However, once the 2017 regular season came about, the franchise started to turn in a different direction and started to reap the rewards of some of their rebuilding years from 2012-2016. While the 2017 regular season didn't result in a playoff berth for the Brewers, it did result in some much needed movement forward. Come the 2018 regular season, the Brewers really made a statement and went down-to-the-wire in the National League Central as they played the aforementioned Chicago Cubs in a one-game play in to clinch a postseason berth that year. Last season, Milwaukee experienced a similar amount of exciting success and made it to the National League Wild Card against the Washington Nationals. If it weren't for a couple of misplays in that game later on, Milwaukee likely would have advanced.

Photo Courtesy of JS Online

When you look back at the year-by-year results of the Milwaukee Brewers, things turned more promising once Craig Counsell took over at the helm and Counsell has proven that he has the leadership qualities and ability to help the Brewers play towards their ultimate goal of winning a World Series Championship. Due to all of that, it likely played a huge factor in the organization's decision to extend him today to a three-year extension through the 2023 regular season. When the news came down about the extension, Milwaukee Brewers fans cheered a loud together on Twitter and Facebook because they love the legacy that Counsell has built up in Milwaukee and feel as though he is the right guy to lead them to the promise land.

One of the things that sticks out the most about the Milwaukee Brewers year in and year out is how they are constantly looked over in the National League Central and how very few people throughout baseball feel as though they are capable of being a division winning team, let alone a team capable of clinching a postseason berth. Many of those concerns while justified have proven to be completely wrong, especially over the last two years when many had doubts about how effective Milwaukee's starting rotation would be, over the course of a 162-game season.

Craig Counsell completely ignored those concerns, as illustrated by the team's record from both the 2018 and 2019 regular seasons from above, and used his leadership and natural management instincts to help the Brewers to prove everyone wrong. Counsell was able to effectively manage the workload of the starting rotation during both of those seasons and use the bullpen to the organization's advantage especially during the 2018 regular season. If you recall, during the 2018 regular season, the Brewers had a bullpen that was composed of: Jeremy Jeffress, Josh Hader, and closer Corey Knebel. In fact, when that trio was healthy and performing at their best, you could argue that the Brewers had the best trio at the back of their bullpen that season of any team around baseball. It's hard to go against that and not provide plenty of reasons why that was the case.

In turn, manager Craig Counsell did a phenomenal job that season of getting all three relievers to perform at their peak level in key situations during the entire regular season and once the postseason rolled around. Sure, Counsell made a handful of questionable pitching decisions that year and last season as well, as any of the thirty managers around baseball do every season, but it was the way that he seamlessly strung together a sub-par starting rotation led by right-hander Jhoulys Chacin and made it work with an over the top bullpen. This is one significant reason why Counsell has built up such a legacy in Milwaukee.

Another is the way that he is able to consistently relate to players on and off the field. When you watch Craig Counsell in the dugout during the course of a game, he does a phenomenal job of studying players to see how they might be feeling at any moment during a game, looking for ways to promote team chemistry in the dugout, and allowing everyone to have a moment at some point over the course of a 162-game season. Counsell said it best last year when he talked about every player having a moment during a game especially once October rolled around. It not only his motto during the postseason, but during the regular season as well.

In addition, you can tell that all 25 players on the Milwaukee Brewers roster buy into his philosophies as well and give 100% everyday that they take the field. Whether it be during an at-bat, when they are playing their position in the field, or even in the dugout between at-bats, the players are energized, they look like they want to be there and have the Milwaukee Brewers logo on their chest, and they are all committed to the same goal which is bringing a World Series Championship back to Milwaukee. It really doesn't get better than that and Counsell has done an excellent job of promoting that as a staple to the philosophies the organization follows during his tenure.

When players feel as though their manager has confidence in them and that they are allowed to play at their highest level during every single game, they completely buy into the program of whatever team they are playing for. From the results of the Milwaukee Brewers the last two seasons in particular, that is very clear and it's only going to stay at that level next season and through the end of the current extension that Craig Counsell is signed to. While the Brewers have yet to bring a World Series Championship back to Milwaukee, that moment is coming and it may very well be sometime over the next four years especially with Craig Counsell at the helm.

After all, he has already built up a legacy with the entire fanbase, the fans have bought into the philosophies that he has set during his tenure as manager, and the legacy of Counsell has already become cemented in many ways throughout the organization and city alike. That legacy could become even bigger if the Brewers were to win a World Series Championship and Craig Counsell is the right guy to help lead the organization to that promise land.