토토사이트There’s a manager in the spotlight for “upsetting the apple cart. We’re talking about Major League Baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell, 53.
Milwaukee fell to 2-5 in the second game of the National League wild-card decider (best-of-three NLWC) against Arizona at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, on April 5. With the second straight loss, Milwaukee’s fall baseball season was cut shorter than expected.
The New York Post and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel focused on Counsell’s future after the team’s early exit from the postseason. The three-year extension he signed with Milwaukee in 2020 is up this year.
Milwaukee finished first in the National League Central this regular season with a 92-70 record and a .568 winning percentage. But the Brewers were embarrassed by Arizona, the league’s No. 3 seed, in the final wild-card game of the postseason as the No. 6 seed. While the future of a manager at the helm can be uncertain, Milwaukee’s situation is different. On the contrary, Counsell’s options are becoming more plentiful.
Counsell, who won a World Series title with Byung-hyun Kim, 44, in 2001 as an Arizona infielder, was named Milwaukee manager in 2015. Many initially questioned his ability to step into the managerial ranks after retiring from the game following the 2011 season with no prior coaching experience, but Counsell proved to be an effective manager and stayed on for nine years.
He has managed 1332 games as a major league head coach, compiling a 707-625 record and a .531 winning percentage. He’s won three district titles and reached the postseason five times. It’s a successful career.
Milwaukee president Matt Arnold told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “We think very highly of Coach Counsell’s leadership abilities. We want him to stay as the head coach of Milwaukee. “But it’s his decision, and we’ve had a lot of conversations about it. We’ve had a lot of conversations about it. Coach Counsell also has young children, so it’s possible that he may want to leave the field and spend more time with his family. Whatever he chooses, we will respect his decision.”
The media outlet added, “Coach Counsell has two sons and two daughters. The sons play baseball at the collegiate level. His daughter is also an athlete, though her sport is not known, so it’s possible that Counsell will take some time off the field to spend more time with his young children.”
The New York Post also discussed the possibility of Counsell joining the New York Mets.
The Mets had a total payroll of $348.47 million this season, ranking first out of all 30 teams in Major League Baseball. However, the team finished the season with a record of 75 wins, 87 losses, and a .463 winning percentage, good for fourth place in the National League East. The team fired manager Buck Showalter, 67, last week, citing poor performance this season, and recently hired David Stearns, 38, as president of baseball operations.
Stearns was hired as Milwaukee’s general manager in 2015 and promoted to president of baseball operations in 2019. He has a strong connection to Counsell, having run the Milwaukee organization until last year.
In his introductory press conference, Stearns said, “We will conduct a wide-ranging search for the Mets managerial vacancy, with no time or space constraints, and we will take our time and be deliberate until after the World Series.”
The comments come as the Brewers have a manager in mind for the postseason, according to US media. With Milwaukee out of the postseason sooner than expected, Counsell is now free to meet with Stearns at any time.
Milwaukee owner Mark Athanasio, 66, told the New York Post, “Coach Counsell is a very deep thinker. He’s been an integral part of our organization for nine years since he was hired as Milwaukee’s head coach. The impact he’s had on this organization has been tremendous,” and expressed his desire to re-sign him.
In addition to Counsell, former Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon, 69, and Milwaukee bench coach Pat Murphy, 65, have been mentioned by the media as possible candidates for the Mets job. Houston manager Dusty Baker, 74, whose contract expires at the end of the season, is also being talked about as the next Mets manager.
Counsell, meanwhile, made his major league debut in 1995 with Colorado and went on to play for Florida, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona, and Milwaukee. In 1,624 big league games, he batted .255 with 42 home runs, 390 RBIs, and 103 stolen bases.