NL Manager of the Year: Breaking down the ballot
By Bill Felber
Craig Counsell, Milwaukee Brewers.
Counsell is in his fourth season managing the Brewers, who as of this moment lead the NL wild card race. Milwaukee, which finished 86-76 a year ago, is on a 91-win pace this season.
Counsell came to Milwaukee in mid-season 2015 and maneuvered the Brewers into contention in 2017 before finishing six games behind the division-champion Cubs and one game behind the Rockies.
The Brewers’ 2018 challenge has been even more serious. Fortified by the additions of outfielders Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich, they led the NL Central for much of the season’s first half before being overtaken by the Cubs.
The Brewers can still catch the Cubs for a division title, trailing them by four games and visiting Chicago for a crucial three-game series starting Sept. 10. They also travel to St. Louis for three games in the season’s final week, but otherwise face a relatively easy schedule that includes series against the Giants, Pirates, Reds, Pirates again and Tigers.
The Brewers are batting .253 on the season, slightly better than the league average of .248. At .421, they rank fifth in slugging. Like most teams, the Brewers have had to work around injuries, most notably to starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson. Recovering from a shoulder injury suffered while running the bases last September, Nelson is not expected to pitch this season.
To the extent one places value on a manager’s performance in challenges, Counsell’s candidacy could be in jeopardy. The Brewers have only a 39 percent success rate overturning calls, the worst of any manager under consideration for the award.