Craig Counsell the right choice for Milwaukee Brewers
By Phil Watson
May 4, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell speaks at a press conference where he was named the team’s manager before game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Craig Counsell was officially introduced Monday morning as the new manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, unencumbered with a dreaded “interim” title as he signed a three-year contract to take over the reins of the team from Ron Roenicke, who was fired Sunday night.
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Counsell said all the right things, general manager Doug Melvin said all the right things—the “right things” being exactly what one would expect them to be said.
I spent Monday talking to several Brewers fans who were asking me about the hire, seemingly skeptical of how well a journeyman infielder could do at the helm of their favorite team.
That leads me to my first point about coaches/managers at the professional level. There is no correlation between success as a player and success as a manager. None. Zip. Zero. Nein. I can’t stress this point enough.
Ask Philadelphia Phillies fans about Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg’s tenure as manager there. Before that, legends of the game such as Ted Williams and Pete Rose had mixed results—as best—as the guys in charge on the field.
Meanwhile, World Series titles were being won by former players such as Tony La Russa (a lifetime .199 hitter in 132 MLB games), Bobby Cox (hit .225 in two MLB seasons), Jim Leyland (never played in the major leagues) and Terry Francona (10 years in the majors as a spare part).
So let’s not get too hung up on Craig Counsell’s .255 lifetime average. Hell, with 1,208 career hits, two World Series rings and more than 1,600 games played at the big league level, one could argue his playing resume is among the best of the current crop of managers, once you move past Sandberg and fellow Hall of Famer Paul Molitor of the Minnesota Twins.
Unless there’s something about Bruce Bochy’s career .239 batting average and never playing in more than 63 games in any of his nine big-league seasons that screamed he was a future superstar as a manager—which he has been with three World Series rings in the last five seasons.
So let’s take a look at the hiring of Counsell, focusing on what seem to be the major points being brought up by the skeptics.
Next: Counsell Has Never Managed Before