Video Shows Craig Counsell’s First Words As Cubs Manager

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

After contending every year from 2015 to 2020 – including a World Series win in 2016 – the Chicago Cubs hit rock bottom in 2021 and started a rebuild, going 71-91 that year.

They started making the right moves regarding their farm – drafting well, stocking the organization with talent via trades, etc. – and the major league roster and improved to 74-88 in 2022.

This year, however, marked the return of contention for the Cubs and the demanding fanbase.

They went 83-79 and were actually very close to making the postseason.

The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Miami Marlins, who secured playoff berths via the Wild Card, were both 84-78.

The Cubs are coming: they will need to replace Cody Bellinger (or re-sign him), sure, but they have other stars signed for the long-term, a strong farm, and an elite manager now: Craig Counsell.

Counsell was given a five-year, $40 million contract last week to lead the team toward taking the next step.

It’s the largest contract in MLB at the moment for a skipper, and he is seen as a motivator, a stats man, and an excellent communicator.

He was introduced as the Cubs new manager after spending the last nine seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers.

He had a chance to say his first words as the clubhouse leader of one of the most traditional franchises in the league.

“From a baseball standpoint, I saw quickly that the organization is just in great health. Jed (Hoyer, the Cubs head of baseball operations) presented a pretty compelling vision of that. There is momentum happening here and it feels close. That means there is a really exciting future ahead of us and now it’s my job to be part of taking us to the next level,” he said in a video uploaded via Twitter by FOX Sports: MLB.

Craig Counsell speaks for the first time as the manager of the Cubs

(via @WatchMarquee)pic.twitter.com/hgyvJkk1W7

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 13, 2023

In a nearly unprecedented move, the Cubs killed two birds with one stone: they acquired a top manager and left the Brewers, a division rival, without one.

It’s a sizable investment, for sure.

However, it has the potential to pay off big time.

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