In mid-November, the Chicago Cubs introduced Craig Counsell as Cubs manager and he will be the 56th manager in franchise history. The Cubs’ decision to ink a deal with Craig Counsell is surely a surprising one. While reading the news, I began to think about his time with the Brewers.
Counsell was hired by the Brewers in May 2015. In his first season with the Brewers, the team won 61 games and took 76 losses. In 2016, Counsell’s first full season with the Brewers, the team won 73 games and had 89 losses. The Brewers finished 4th in the division.
In 2017, the Brewers earned 86 wins and lost 76 games. This was the first time that the Brewers finished a season with a winning percentage over .500 under Counsell’s leadership. The next season, the Brewers did even better. The team won 96 games and advanced to the NLCS. In the 2019 season, the Brewers won 89 games and clinched a berth in the postseason again. The 2020 season was a shortened one. The Brewers clinched a spot in the playoffs as well, however, this time, they didn’t finish the season with a winning percentage of .500.
In 2021, the Brewers got 95 wins and won the NL Central title. Nonetheless, they lost to the Braves in the NLDS. Last season, they got 86 wins, but didn’t clinch a berth in the playoffs. This year, the Brewers won 92 games and became the NL Central champions. Nonetheless, the team was defeated by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL Wild Card Series.
So, looking at Counsell’s managerial stats with the Brewers, he led the team to win over 700 games. During these 9 seasons with the Brewers, there were 3 times that the team finished a season with 90+ wins. Additionally, he led the team to the playoffs 5 times. In the Brewers franchise history, they have 9 postseason appearances. Without doubt, Counsell has become an important part of the Brewers franchise history.
However, do the Cubs truly make a good decision?
Well, David Ross was the Cubs manager from 2020 to 2023. During these 4 seasons, the team won 262 games and lost 284 times. During these 4 seasons, the Cubs won the NL Central in 2020 and that was the last time that the Cubs clinched a postseason berth. Hence, when we look at these 4 seasons, without many doubts, the outcomes show us that the Brewers did a better job. In particular, the Brewers won the NL Central title 2 times.
Under Counsell’s leadership, the Brewers surely did play well, and the team made the postseason 5 times. However, after being the skipper of the Cubs, there are challenges ahead. Firstly, the Brewers had an ERA of 3.71 in 2023, which was the best among 30 MLB teams. Meanwhile, the Cubs finished the season with an ERA over 4. Without top pitchers such as Corbin Burnes and Devin Williams, how will Counsell well utilize the Cubs pitching staff? Additionally, the Cubs had an OPS of .751, which ranked 8th in the majors. Nonetheless, Cody Bellinger, who slashed .307/.356/.525 with 26 home runs and 97 RBI in 2023, is now a free agent. If the Cubs don’t re-sign Bellinger, can Counsell find a player to replace Bellinger? Finally, the last time that the Cubs finished a season with 90+ wins was in 2018. Will Counsell lead the Cubs to reach 90 wins in 2024?
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