The Milwaukee Brewers may have made the postseason for the fifth time in six years, but their run did not last very long. Despite playing at home in American Family Field for the 2023 Wild Card Round, the Brewers could not generate any offense and lost the best-of-three series in two games.
As was the case all season, Milwaukee hitters struggled to hit with runners in scoring position. Despite numerous instances of having runners on second and third, or even the bases loaded, with less than two outs, Brewers hitters could not come up with the clutch hits that they needed. In two games, Milwaukee had 30 base runners. They scored a total of five runs.
There is certainly going to be some heavy turnover on the roster, as there is in most years with a team as cost-conscious as Milwaukee. Corbin Burnes, the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner, is entering his final year of arbitration and, likely, will be traded this offseason.
But perhaps the biggest question, especially for the long-term, is the future of manager Craig Counsell.
Did Craig Counsell Manage His Last Game for the Milwaukee Brewers?
All season long, fans have wondered if, regardless of how it ended, this would be Counsell’s last year as manager of the Brewers. His contract is now up and he has declined signing an extension.
This is not necessarily because he doesn’t want to come back, but because he also wants to be able to go and watch his kids play college baseball. Of course, that is hard to do when one is the manager of a Major League club.
For their part, the Brewers have been adamant that they want Counsell to return, but also respect his personal reasons for wanting to wait.
In other words, if Counsell wants to come back, he will be welcomed back.
And one of his stars, pitcher Freddy Peralta, sincerely wants him back:
#Brewers P Freddy Peralta on Craig Counsell’s future👇
“We don’t know anything. Hopefully we keep him because he’s great as a person and as a manager.” pic.twitter.com/UOC8OlJk3z
— 97.3 The Game (@TheGameMKE) October 5, 2023
Who Would Take Over As Manager of the Milwaukee Brewers If Craig Counsell Leaves?
If Counsell decides to take time off, the Brewers will be one of the most intriguing managerial openings in baseball. Despite being in a small market, they are coming off of a 92-win season and, as mentioned, have the the playoffs in five of the last six years.
One name that is very intriguing is that of bench coach Pat Murphy. If Counsell does step away, it is reasonable to think that he will not want to be away permanently. Murphy was the manager of the San Diego Padres in 2015 and has been Counsell’s bench coach since 2016.
Milwaukee would be hard-pressed to find a managerial candidate that knows the players and how the Brewers approach the game than Murphy. While not probable, it is possible that the team could work out some form of agreement where Murphy manages for a year in Counsell’s stead and then returns to the bench coach role upon his return.
Of course, that would all depend on what Counsell chooses to do, and at this point no one knows what that will be.
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
1 Comment
We can only hope that this is Counsell’s last game for the Brewers! I am sorry , but a lot of the teams Counsell played for in the past , we lost to in playoffs . We need to move on from Counsell , and the Doug Melvin Era here in Milwaukee . We need a winning coach , that has a winning fire in their belly. ( I’m sorry , the Harvey Keunn home cooking worked . Not the Counsell home cooking ) We need a coach from out of the organization . Maybe , we will get a better result ?