in one-run games (85–59) and the
league’s greatest overperformance
of expected record based on runs
scored and allowed (+14 wins). “The
greatest quality Craig has is that he
is undeterred,” says bench coach Pat
Murphy, for whom Counsell played
at Notre Dame. “He will do what he
thinks is right. Period.”
Under Counsell, the Brewers have
expertly leveraged expanded rosters:
They’re an MLB-best 56–26 in
September since 2017. And they
haven’t hesitated to shuttle pitchers
between the majors and minors, using
a franchise-record 30 each of the last
three years. If a reliever needed rest,
the Brewers would send him to the
minors and call up a fresh arm. Last
season Jake Faria went down or up
11 times. To give Counsell the mostTHE NBA WIDENED the lane to
make room for George Mikan and
again for Wilt Chamberlain, and
Augusta National lengthened its
course as a response to Tiger Woods.
It’s only a coincidence that after back-
to-back playoff appearances by the
Brewers, MLB enacted roster restric-
tions that threaten to rein in skipper
Craig Counsell (although it might
seem otherwise).
Counsell does with a roster what a
juicer does with an orange: He will
wring out whatever’s there, no matter
the mess. Over the past three years,
no NL team’s starters have thrown
fewer innings than Milwaukee’s—usu-
ally an indication of trouble. Instead,
Counsell’s clubs have not only aver-
aged 90-plus wins over that span,
but have also had MLB’s best recordavailable arms on any given day, the
Brewers sent Faria, Taylor Williams,
Jacob Barnes, Corbin Burnes,
Jay Jackson, Ray Black and Freddy
Peralta down or up 45 times combined.
For the ’20 season, MLB has raised
from 10 to 15 the minimum days an
optioned pitcher must spend in the
minors when sent down and capped
September rosters at 28 instead of 40
(including a maximum of 14 pitchers).
Another change: The minimum bat-
ters faced by a pitcher increases from
one to three (unless the pitcher gets
the last out of the inning). Last season
Milwaukee lefty Alex Claudio made
29 one- or two-batter appearances,
second most among NL relievers, and
Brewers pitchers altogether made
150 one- or two-batter appearances.
“I think baseball is rightfully trying
to address the pace-of-game issue,”
Counsell says. “I hope we do it in a
way that doesn’t affect the game stra-
tegically and tactically so that it gives
players, not just managers, the ability
to showcase a bunch of skills.”
Counsell turns 50 this August,
which seems a clerical error when you
see him rocking a hoodie and bounc-
ing on the balls of his feet, still at his
playing weight of 180. Upon retiring
in 2011 as a utility infielder after a
16-year career—the last five of them
with Milwaukee—he took a job as a
special assistant to Brewers GM Doug
Melvin. In May ’15, Melvin asked
Counsell, who had no managerial
experience, to replace Ron Roenicke.
Four months after that, Melvin was
himself ousted, and new GM David
Stearns asked around about the skip-
per he inherited.
“The constant feedback was that he
was an incredibly intellectually curi-
ous guy,” says Stearns. “That really
intrigued me. Let’s face it, you don’t
hear that a ton among baseball people,
someone being described as curious.”
Just five years later, Counsell is
the NL’s longest-tenured manager.
“Craig has to manage literally from
pitch one,” Stearns added. “That’s
partially how the game is run right
38
SPORTS ILLUSTRATEDBECAUSE...
CRAIG COUNSELL
MASTERED
THE ART OF
ROSTER
MANAGEMENT
BY TOM VERDUCCI