Milwaukee Brewers: Which jersey do you want to buy?

Any time a team has success, jersey purchases increase.  If you were to buy a Milwaukee Brewers jersey today, which one would you buy?  I would purchase a Craig Counsell jersey and here is why.

He’s a hometown guy

Craig Counsell was born and raised in the greater Milwaukee area. He played high school baseball at Whitefish Bay High School. Counsell had a long, and successful Major League career, that ended with the Milwaukee Brewers. He stayed in the Milwaukee area and took a job with the team as a front office guy working for Doug Melvin. From there he became manager of the team just as the team was embarking on a rebuild.

Success through a rebuild process

A few years ago the Milwaukee Brewers decided that it was time to start a rebuild process. With any rebuild, you have to figure success won’t come until four or five years down the road. The Brewers have seen success a lot earlier than originally anticipated.  GM David Stearns deserves a lot of credit for this early success, but  Counsell’s managing and player development deserve considerable credit as well. Plus, the players seem to like him.

Ryan Braun

Milwaukee Brewers superstar Ryan Braun was the face of the franchise, but this is no longer the case. His issues with PED use, and his ultimate suspension have led to a decrease in his popularity. In addition to that, his time on the disabled list continues to increase while his production decreases. This comes at a time when he is making $20 million per year.

Player turnover and new faces

Within a few year period, the Milwaukee Brewers have gone from a full rebuild to a rebuild/win now hybrid type philosophy. When this happens you will see a lot of new faces on a team either because prospects are coming up or because trades have brought new players in. Fans are just starting to build rapport with some of these new faces, but for now those player/fan relationships haven’t been fully built.

Next: Could They Draft Will Banfield?

Until players like Josh Hader or Christian Yelich have continued success with the team and build  further rapport with fans, a guy like Counsell safe choice when looking to buy your next Brewers jersey.