Some argue that baseball has little impact on the outcome of the manager. This means that the proportion of player composition and team power is so large that the manager has limited influence to intervene in the game and change the game. The prevailing opinion is that the manager’s ability is important in the KBO League, where the player pool is limited and there are not many teams with nine key players from the fifth start, but the proportion of baseball managers is not large in the Major League.
However, several teams competed to recruit a coach in the Major League last winter. Craig Counsell, 54, who led the Milwaukee Brewers for nine years and advanced to the postseason five times, is out of the market due to the expiration of his contract. Milwaukee, the “Small Market Team,” is not a team that can make large investments, but Counsell achieved the maximum result with his capability.
Starting with Milwaukee, the Chicago Cubs, the New York Mets, and the Cleveland Guardians are recruiting Counsellors. The Cubs, which offered a huge amount of 40 million U.S. dollars for a five-year contract, became the winner of the competition to recruit the same coach. Milwaukee also offered an annual average of 5 million dollars, but the proposal was too overwhelming. 무료슬롯사이트
The annual average of 8 million dollars that Cubs manager Counsell has been paid is the highest in the history of Major League managers. Although it is customary not to disclose the annual salary of a manager in Major League Baseball, it is often known through media reports. Joe Torre, who led the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2008 to 2010, had the highest annual salary of 7.5 million dollars, and Dave Roberts, the highest among active managers, had 6.5 million dollars, but Counsell easily surpassed him.
Cubs spent a lot of money on Counsell when they replaced David Ross, who had one year left on his contract, but it has yet to see the effect. Rather, his performance fell further. Until the 25th (Korea Standard Time), Cubs fell to fifth place and last place in the NL Central with 37 wins and 42 losses. Last year, Cubs failed to win the postseason with 83 wins and 79 losses (win rate .512), ranking fourth as a wild card, but this year, they stepped back when they exceeded the halfway point.
In the game against the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, he suffered a come-from-behind loss due to Counsell’s failed replacement of pitchers. Colton Brewer stepped up in the bottom of the ninth inning with a 4-2 lead, but allowed one run due to a double, a hit, and a sacrifice fly, and when he reached the first base with one out, left-hander Drew Smyly put in. However, he suffered a 4-5 walk-off loss due to hits, walks, sacrifice fly, intentional four pitches and a walk.
Amid weakening bullpen including solid finishing, the Cubs suffered 17 come-from-behind losses this year. With 17 Blon Save, the second-thinest team among the 30 teams. As the one-point loss has also weakened to 18 losses, the most in the league, Counsell’s leadership is also on the cutting board.
In contrast, Milwaukee, which left Counsell, has appointed Matt Murphy (aged 66), who helped Counsell as a bench coach for eight years since 2016, and is playing a new season. Murphy, who is also a coach who directly coached the team during his college years at Notre Dame, took the helm to replace his student at the late age of his mid-60s.
He expected to follow Counsell to the Cubs, but Milwaukee appointed Murphy through internal promotion. The decline in performance was expected as Counsell left and ace Corbin Burns was traded to the Baltimore Orioles, but under Coach Murphy, who is known for his good communication skills with players, Milwaukee has achieved 46 wins and 33 losses (win rate of .582). He has displayed better performance than last year’s 92-70 win rate of .568, and is currently ranking No. 1 in the global market.
Considering that the Cubs ended the season with the highest treatment, and Milwaukee ended the season with the highest treatment, it seems right that the coach’s influence in baseball is not significant. Of course, the season is not over yet, and more time is needed for accurate evaluation.