New Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell to be introduced Monday originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Craig Counsell, the new manager of the Chicago Cubs, and the former manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, will be introduced during a press conference Monday, according to a press release from the Cubs.
According to the release, Counsell will be introduced at 10 a.m. Monday. The conference will stream in the video player above once it begins.
Counsell, a long-time MLB veteran player, took over the Brewers in 2015 and guided them to five playoff appearances in nine seasons at the helm. The Brewers reportedly offered Counsell a deal worth $5.5 million a season to stay in Milwaukee, but instead he signed a five-year pact with the Cubs that will reportedly pay him $8 million a season, a record for a Major League manager.
Who is Craig Counsell?
Playing as an infielder, Counsell had a 16-year playing career, including spending a long chunk of time with the Brewers. He collected World Series rings with the Marlins in 1997 and the Diamondbacks in 2001, slashing .255/.342/.344 in his MLB career. He hit 42 career home runs, drove in 390 RBI’s and registered 103 stolen bases in 5,488 career plate appearances.
After his playing career ended in 2011, Counsell worked in the Brewers’ front office for two seasons, then was a color commentator for Brewers’ broadcasts for one season. He was hired as the team’s manager in 2015.
Throughout the season, rumors swirled around Counsell’s future with the club, as he managed the final year of his contract.
Now, Counsell will look to get the Cubs back to the postseason for the first time since 2020. The Cubs fell just short this year, finishing behind the Philadelphia Phillies, Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks in the wild card race.
Milwaukee grapples with the reality of Craig Counsell managing the Cubs
The Brewers now must try to keep winning in Major League Baseball’s smallest market without the manager who led them to their greatest run of sustained success.
“We have a really good thing,” Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio said Monday. “I give Craig credit for helping to build that, and for adding all these coaches, all of whom have stayed. So we’re going to look for a manager who can continue having a terrific clubhouse culture and that can help us keep winning and hopefully get over the hump in the playoffs.”
“You know in the first ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ movie where they’re digging to find the ark of the covenant and they open this big tomb thing and they look down and Indiana Jones says, ‘Snakes? Why did it have to be snakes?’” said Kay Kenealy of Waukesha, Wisconsin, a Brewers partial season ticket holder since 2006. “My initial reaction was, ‘Oh my God, the Cubs? Why did it have to be the Cubs.’”
Laura Hemming, a partial season ticket holder since the mid-1990s, said the news “felt like kind of a gut punch.”
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David Rodriguez brings the excitement of Major League Baseball to readers. With a deep appreciation for America’s pastime, he covers the latest MLB news, scores, and player achievements, keeping fans up to date with their favorite teams and players.
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