Milwaukee Brewers: Former Crew Members as Current Managers

Of the thirty current Major League managers, six once sported Milwaukee Brewers uniforms with pride. Though some served longer tenures than others, they all have connections to the Crew.

Several former Milwaukee Brewers players have found a place in the MLB even though there playing careers are over. Of those is current Brewers manager Craig Counsell. Also among former Milwaukee players in a managerial position now is leader of the Crew’s conference foe, the St. Louis Cardinals. Mike Matheny once wore blue and yellow during his playing career.

Also in the National League is Gabe Kapler, as the leader of the Philadelphia Phillies.

The final three former Crew members are positioned at the helm of teams in the American League Central. Those are Paul Molitor for the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona, and Ned Yost of the Kansas City Royals.

An Honorary Member

In addition to these six, there is yet another current manager that has ties to Milwaukee. Oakland A’s manager Bob Melvin was a part of the Milwaukee Brewers organization from 1996-1999. He served a different role each year that he was with the Crew. In 1996, he was a scout. He then transitioned to the role of a roving instructor in 1997, the assistant to the General Manager in 1998, and the bench coach in 1999.

When Phil Garner transitioned to the manager of the Detroit Tigers in 2000, Melvin left with him. Before that, he also coached the Crew’s Arizona Fall League team in 1999.

Though he never played for the Crew, he is an honorary member of this list for his duties with the Milwaukee Brewers that jump started his managerial career.

What’s on Tap?

Because former Brewers players make up one-fifth of the current Major League managers, it can be hard to keep track of them. They each took different paths on their journeys to becoming MLB managers, but each and every one of them can proudly say that they were once involved in the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

Terry Francona (1989-1990)

Keeping it in the division, the AL Central division leading Cleveland Indians manager is also linked to the Milwaukee Brewers organization. Terry Francona finished his playing career in Milwaukee.

His Playing Career

Francona was drafted with the 22nd overall selection in the 1980 MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos. He played both first base and outfield during his playing career. At the plate, he had a reputation as a successful contact hitter.

The lefty’s career batting average is .274 with 474 hits, only sixteen of them going over the fence.

After five seasons in the Expos organization, he played one season each for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and the Cleveland Indians. He finished off his career as a player with the Milwaukee Brewers.

He played in 90 games with the Crew in 1989, and in 1990, he appeared in only three games. With the Brewers in 1989, he also pitched one inning where he threw 12 pitches and struck out Stan Javier in three pitches.

Coaching Career

Much like Yost, Francona started as a coach before he worked his way up to being a Major League manager. His coaching career started with the White Sox minor league system before he became the third base coach for the Detroit Tigers in 1996.

Managerial Career

He began with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1997, where he stayed until the year 2000. The highest his teams in those four years finished was third place in the division. After the 2000 season, he was fired. He served as an assistant to the GM in 2001 in Cleveland, and then he served a year each as the bench coach for the Rangers and the A’s in the following two seasons.

He then took on the position of the manager of the Boston Red Sox. During his tenure, he led the Red Sox to two World Series championships, in 2004 and 2007.

After his contract was not renewed in 2012, he was hired on as the Indians manager in October of the same year. In 2016, he was named the American League Manager of the Year.

So far in 2018, his team stands atop the AL Central division.

Paul Molitor (1978-1992)

Paul Molitor is probably the most famous name on this list, and the player with the longest tenure with the Crew. He was a seven-time All-Star, five of them with the Milwaukee Brewers. He also is a World Series Champion (1993 with the Toronto Blue Jays) where he was named the series MVP.

Molitor also won four Silver Slugger Awards, two with the Crew, and he is on the Major League Baseball All-Time Team.

He was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 2004 in his first time on the ballot.

His Playing Career

When visiting Miller Park, Paul Molitor’s name is visible, as his jersey number, 4, has been retired by the organization. He began his career with the Brewers where he was highly successful.

With the Crew, he notched himself in the history books as the fifth longest hitting streak in MLB history, getting a hit in 33 straight games. It was ended when he stood in the on-deck circle and watched Rick Manning drive in the winning run against the Cleveland Indians.

He has a career batting average of .306. After his 15 seasons in Milwaukee, he spent three years with the Toronto Blue Jays. Then, he finished off his career in Minnesota with the Twins before retiring in 1998.

Managerial Career

He started off as the Twins bench coach for three years. Molitor stepped away from Minnesota’s organization for a year to be a hitting coach with the Seattle Mariners in 2004.

He returned to the Twin Cities from 2005 to 2013 as a minor league coach before transitioning to the Twins coaching staff as an instructor. In 2015, he took on the role as the Twins manager where he will be until 2020.

He was named the American League Manager of the Year in November of 2017.

Molitor is the third and final current Major League manager in the AL Central that once played in Milwaukee. His team resides in the middle of the divisional pack, behind Francona’s Indians and the Detroit Tigers.

Gabe Kapler (2008)

Gabe Kapler was recently named the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. He is the newest member of the former Milwaukee Brewers players in the managerial club.

Though he wasn’t with the Crew for a long time, he still has ties to the Milwaukee Brewers.

His Playing Career

Kapler played for a multitude of teams during his tenure as a Major League player. He started with the Detroit Tigers, who picked him in the 57th round of the 1995 MLB Draft, then he was with the Texas Rangers. He then spent time with the Colorado Rockies and the Boston Red Sox before he became a member of the Crew in 2008.

As a member of the Red Sox in 2004, he and his teammates were crowned World Series champions.

In 2005, he ruptured his Achilles tendon running the bases. Just over a year later, he announced his retirement from baseball.

He finished his career in Tampa Bay with the Rays from 2009-2010. The outfielder boasted a .268 career batting average. He posted one of his highest numbers as a member of the Brew Crew, with an average of .301 in 96 games played. He earned 69 hits in his 229 at bats for Milwaukee.

Managerial Career

In his year off from baseball, between his tenures with the Red Sox and the Brewers, he was the manager of the Single A affiliate of the Sox. Because he missed the game, he returned and signed a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.

When he retired for the second time from baseball, he started by coaching the Israeli national baseball team in 2013. He also worked in the media a little, appearing on Fox Sports Live and MLB Whiparound.

Finally, he was hired in 2018 as the Philadelphia Phillies 54th manager in team history. The Phillies are in the third slot in the NL East with a record of 32-26.

Mike Matheny (1994-1998)

Mike Matheny is another current Major League manager that began his career as a player wearing blue and yellow. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the eighth round of the 1991 MLB Draft.

He won four Gold Glove awards as a player, none which were with the Crew. Matheny is now the manager of conference foe, the St. Louis Cardinals.

His Playing Career

Matheny spent three years, starting in 1991, in the Crew’s farm system before debuting in the Majors in 1994. The catcher was then the starter for the Milwaukee Brewers until 1998 when the Crew granted him free agency.

His next stop was with the Toronto Blue Jays for a year before he played for the St. Louis Cardinals for five seasons. He ended his playing career with the San Francisco Giants in 2006. His retirement was prompted by recurring concussion symptoms.

He ended his career with a .239 batting average, hitting 67 homeruns and knocking in 443 runs.

Managerial Career

In 2011, Mike Matheny was announced the Cardinals new manager in light of Tony La Russa’s retirement. Beginning at the start of the 2012 season, Matheny has been the leader of the Cardinals.

With no prior managerial experience, it was a bold choice by the Cardinals organization. It proved to be successful, though. In his first season as a manager, the Cards finished above .500 and they made it to the NLCS.

In his second season, he led his team to the best record in the National League. They eventually lost in the World Series to the Red Sox. It’s ironic, because ten years earlier when Matheny was playing for the Cardinals, they also lost to the Red Sox in the World Series.

As Brewer fans, it’s hard to want to see Mike Matheny do well in his managerial career because he is at the helm of a tough NL Central competitor year in and year out.  Nonetheless, he still shares a tie to the city of Milwaukee and the Brewers organization.

This season, the St. Louis Cardinals are in the middle of the pack, behind the Brewers and the Cubs.

Craig Counsell (2004, 2007-2011)

Perhaps the best, and most obvious, was saved for last. Craig Counsell is the current manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, as he has been since 2015 when Ron Roenicke was fired. On his current contract, he is set to serve as the manager of the Crew through 2020.

Though he also played for multiple teams, he was a member of the Milwaukee Brewers on two separate occasions as a player. He also ended his playing career with the Crew.

His Playing Career

The infielder began his career with the Colorado Rockies in 1995. He then played for the Florida Marlins, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Arizona Diamondbacks before he became a part of the Brewers squad for the first time in 2004.

He then found himself back in the Diamondbacks organization for two seasons before making his final stop in Milwaukee.

Counsell is remembered by many baseball fans for his unorthodox batting stance. He won two World Series championships, first with the Marlins and the second with the Diamondbacks.

His final career batting average is .255, with an on base percentage of .342. Counsell was named the NLCS MVP in 2001 en route to his second World Series victory.

Managerial Career

Just after his retirement, he took on the job of being the special assistant to the GM, Doug Melvin. He also became a color guy for the Brewers radio broadcasts.

Then, in 2015, he was hired on as the new manager of the Milwaukee Brewers. In his time as the manager, the Crew has mainly been in a period of rebuilding. The 2017 season was a big surprise, as the young team finished in 2nd place in the tough NL Central. They barely missed the postseason, and Counsell’s efforts as manager were taken note of, finishing in 4th place in the race for the NL Manager of the Year.

Next: Fifth Round Selection Justin Jarvis

The Crew is perhaps the team on this list that has had the most success up to this point in the year. They are currently atop the NL Central despite all of the obstacles they have faced in the first two months of the season. Though fans would like to root for the success of all Milwaukee Brewers alumni, Craig Counsell is the one on the list most Crew fans would tend to cheer for.