Craig Counsell
A cerebral baseball lifer who transformed a small-market team into a consistent winner with his unorthodox, data-driven approach.
Born 1970 (age 56)·American baseball player and manager·Birthday: August 21·Generation X
Biography
Craig Counsell’s baseball story is one of unexpected turns and quiet reinvention. The Wisconsin native, known for his distinctive batting stance as a scrappy utility player, carved out a 16-year career defined by clutch moments, including scoring the winning run in the 1997 World Series. His true impact, however, came from the dugout. Taking over the Milwaukee Brewers in 2015, Counsell discarded old managerial playbooks, embracing analytics and unconventional strategies with a calm, professorial demeanor. He guided the Brewers, a franchise with limited historical success, to five playoff berths, making them perennial contenders. His 2023 move to the rival Chicago Cubs sent shockwaves through the sport, a testament to his valued intellect, and he promptly led them back to the postseason.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Craig was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Craig Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Craig's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the Milwaukee Brewers' all-time leader in managerial wins, surpassing Phil Garner.
- Led the Milwaukee Brewers to five postseason appearances during his tenure from 2015 to 2023.
- Guided the Chicago Cubs to a playoff berth in his first season as their manager in 2024.
- Won two World Series rings as a player, with the Florida Marlins in 1997 and Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001.
Did You Know?
His father worked in the front office for the Milwaukee Brewers.
He was named the NLCS MVP in 2001 while playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
His unique, hands-high batting stance was famously imitated by players and fans alike.
“I think the best managers are the ones that are themselves.”
