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List of Milwaukee Brewers managers

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A man in a navy blue baseball jersey standing on a field between two men in black umpiring outfits
Manager Ken Macha (center) meeting with the umpires before a game

The Milwaukee Brewers Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise of the National League (NL) has employed 20 managers during its 55 seasons of play.[1] Managers are responsible for team strategy and leadership on and off the field, including determining the batting order, arranging defensive positioning, and making tactical decisions regarding pitching changes, pinch-hitting, pinch-running, and defensive replacements.[2] Established in Seattle, Washington, as the Seattle Pilots in 1969, the team became the Milwaukee Brewers after relocating to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1970. The franchise played in the American League (AL) until 1998, when it moved to the National League in conjunction with a major league realignment. Pat Murphy, the current manager, will manage his first Brewers game at the beginning of the 2024 season.

Five managers have led the Brewers to the postseason. Buck Rodgers' 1981 team won the Second Half AL East Division title. In 1982, Harvey Kuenn took over for Rodgers and led Milwaukee to win the AL East Division title and the AL Championship Series, but they lost in their only World Series appearance. Dale Sveum, who assumed control of the team late in the 2008 season from Ned Yost, led the club to an NL Wild Card. Ron Roenicke's 2011 Brewers won the NL Central Division title and the NL Division Series (NLDS). The teams led by Craig Counsell won the NL Central Division title (2018, 2021, and 2023), the NLDS (2018), and two NL Wild Card spots (2019 and 2020).

None of Milwaukee's managers have won the Major League Baseball Manager of the Year Award since its institution in 1983.[3] However, two have won the Sporting News Manager of the Year Award: George Bamberger (1978) and Craig Counsell (2017, 2018, and 2023).

Craig Counsell won 707 regular-season games from 2015 to 2023, placing him first on the all-time wins list for Brewers managers. Having managed the team for 1,332 games over nine seasons, he is the longest-tenured manager in team history. The manager with the highest winning percentage over a full season or more is Harvey Kuenn (1975, 1982–1983), with .576. Conversely, the lowest winning percentage over a season or more is .395 by Joe Schultz (1969).

History

[edit]

Playing in the American League (AL), the Seattle Pilots were managed by former St. Louis Cardinals coach Joe Schultz in their inaugural 1969 season.[4][5] Schultz' .395 winning percentage is the lowest among all Brewers managers who managed a full season or more.[1] He was replaced by former Cincinnati Reds manager Dave Bristol when the team relocated to Milwaukee as the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970.[6][7] Bristol remained with the team until being dismissed on May 28, 1972.[8] Third base coach Roy McMillan filled in on an interim basis for two games before Triple-A Evansville Triplets manager Del Crandall was brought up to finish the season.[9][10] Crandall was released on September 28, 1975, with one game left to play.[11] Hitting coach Harvey Kuenn managed the season finale that day.[12] Alex Grammas, a coach for the 1975 World Series champion Reds, next served as Brewers manager from 1976 to 1977.[13] Baltimore Orioles pitching coach George Bamberger came on as skipper in 1978.[14] He was selected to win the Sporting News Manager of the Year Award in his first season.[15] Bamberger suffered a heart attack during spring training in 1980 and had five coronary bypasses that March.[16] Third base coach Buck Rodgers served as acting manager until Bamberger returned on June 6.[16] He retired on September 7 to take up a job in player development with the Brewers.[16] Rogers finished out the season as manager.[16]

A man in a white baseball jersey and dark cap
Harvey Kuenn led the Brewers to the 1982 World Series, their only World Series appearance.

Continuing as Milwaukee's skipper in 1981,[17] Buck Rodgers led the team to their first postseason appearance by winning the Second Half AL East Division title.[18] They were eliminated in the American League Division Series by the New York Yankees.[18] Rodgers was dismissed on June 2, 1982, and replaced by hitting coach Harvey Kuenn.[19] The 1982 Brewers captured the AL East Division title before winning the American League Championship Series over the California Angels.[20] Kuenn's Brewers were defeated in the World Series by St. Louis.[20] Kuenn returned to lead the team in 1983, but they were unable to make it three postseason appearances in a row.[12] Over parts of three seasons as manager, Kuenn accumulated a .576 winning percentage, the highest among all Brewers managers over a full season or more.[1]

Former Seattle Mariners manager Rene Lachemann managed the club in 1984.[21] George Bamberger returned to managed Milwaukee in 1985.[14] He retired for the second time on September 25, 1986.[22] Third base coach Tom Trebelhorn managed the last nine games of the season and remained in the position through 1991.[23] Phil Garner became the team's manager in 1992.[24] In 1998, Milwaukee transferred to the National League (NL) as a part of Major League Baseball's realignment for that season.[25] Garner remained with the Brewers until being dismissed on August 12, 1999.[26] Hitting coach Jim Lefebvre managed the rest of the 1999 season on an interim basis.[27]

Davey Lopes, previously the San Diego Padres' first base coach became manager of the Brewers in 2000.[28] He was fired on April 18, 2002, fifteen games into the season.[29] He was succeeded by bench coach Jerry Royster as interim manager for the remainder of the year.[29][30] Ned Yost, who had been the Atlanta Braves' third base coach, was hired as the Brewers' manager for 2003.[31] With the team in a race for the NL Central Division title, Yost was fired on September 15, 2008, with 12 games left to play.[32] Third base coach Dale Sveum served on an interim basis for the rest of the campaign.[32][33] Under Sveum, the Brewers won the 2008 NL Wild Card, but lost the National League Division Series (NLDS) versus the Philadelphia Phillies.[34] Ken Macha managed the club for the 2009 and 2010 seasons but could not lead the team back to the playoffs.[35]

A man in a black coat speaking into a microphone
Craig Counsell led the Brewers to five postseason appearances between 2015 and 2023.

Ron Roenicke, the Los Angeles Angels' bench coach, was hired as the Brewers' new manager in 2011.[36] He led Milwaukee to win the 2011 NL Central Division title, their first division crown since 1982.[37] They won the NLDS over the Arizona Diamondbacks but were eliminated from the postseason by St. Louis in the National League Championship Series (NLCS).[37] Roenicke remained manager until his dismissal on May 3, 2015, following a 7–18 start to the season.[38]

Former Brewers infielder and special assistant to the general manager Craig Counsell was selected as Roenicke's replacement.[39][40] Counsell led Milwaukee to five postseason appearances, more than any other manager in franchise history. The 2018 NL Central Division champion Brewers won the NLDS over the Colorado Rockies but lost the NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers[41] Milwaukee returned to the playoffs the next season but lost the 2019 National League Wild Card Game against the Washington Nationals.[42] The 2020 team lost the NL Wild Card Series to the Dodgers.[43] Counsell won the Sporting News Manager of the Year Award in 2017 and 2018.[15] He led the Brewers to the 2021 NL Central Division title, but they lost the NLDS versus the Atlanta Braves.[44] The 2023 Brewers won the NL Central Division title but were eliminated in the NL Wild Card Series by Arizona.[45] Over nine seasons as manager, Counsell won 707 regular-season games, placing him first on the all-time wins list for Brewers managers.[1] Having managed the team for 1,332 games, he is also the longest-tenured manager in team history.[1] Counsell left the Brewers to become manager of the Chicago Cubs after the 2023 season.[46] Pat Murphy, who had been Milwaukee's bench coach since 2016, was selected as Counsell's successor.[47]

Managers

[edit]
Table Key
No. A running total of the number of Brewers managers
G Regular season games managed
W Regular season wins
L Regular season losses
T Regular season ties
Win % Regular season winning percentage
PA Playoff appearances: number of years the manager has led the franchise to the playoffs
PW Playoff wins
PL Playoff losses
LC League championships: number of league championships, or pennants, achieved by the manager
WS World Series championships: number of World Series victories achieved by the manager
Managers
No. Manager Season(s) G W L T Win % PA PW PL LC WS Ref.
1 Joe Schultz 1969 163 64 98 1 .395 — — — — — [5]
2 Dave Bristol 1970–1972 354 144 209 1 .408 — — — — — [7]
3 Roy McMillan 1972 2 1 1 — .500 — — — — — [9]
4 Del Crandall 1972–1975 609 271 338 — .445 — — — — — [10]
5 Harvey Kuenn 1975 1 1 0 — 1.000 — — — — — [12]
6 Alex Grammas 1976–1977 323 133 190 — .412 — — — — — [13]
7 George Bamberger 1978–1980 415 235 180 — .566 — — — — — [14]
8 Buck Rodgers 1980–1982 226 124 102 — .549 1 2 3 0 0 [17]
— Harvey Kuenn 1982–1983 278 159 118 1 .574 1 6 6 1 0 [12]
9 Rene Lachemann 1984 161 67 94 — .416 — — — — — [21]
— George Bamberger 1985–1986 313 142 171 — .454 — — — — — [14]
10 Tom Trebelhorn 1986–1991 819 422 397 — .515 — — — — — [23]
11 Phil Garner 1992–1999 1,180 563 617 — .477 — — — — — [24]
12 Jim Lefebvre 1999 49 22 27 — .449 — — — — — [27]
13 Davey Lopes 2000–2002 340 144 195 1 .425 — — — — — [28]
14 Jerry Royster 2002 147 53 94 — .361 — — — — — [30]
15 Ned Yost 2003–2008 959 457 502 — .477 — — — — — [31]
16 Dale Sveum 2008 12 7 5 — .583 1 1 3 0 0 [33]
17 Ken Macha 2009–2010 324 157 167 — .485 — — — — — [35]
18 Ron Roenicke 2011–2015 673 342 331 — .508 1 5 6 0 0 [36]
19 Craig Counsell 2015–2023 1,332 707 625 — .531 5 7 12 0 0 [39]
20 Pat Murphy 2024–present 162 93 69 — — — — — — — [47]
Totals 20 managers 55 seasons 8,680 4,215 4,461 4 .486 9 21 30 1 0 —
Managers with multiple tenures
No. Manager Season(s) G W L T Win % PA PW PL LC WS Ref.
5 Harvey Kuenn 1975,
1982–1983		 279 160 118 1 .576 1 6 6 1 0 [12]
7 George Bamberger 1978–1980,
1985–1986		 728 377 351 0 .518 — — — — — [14]

References

[edit]
Specific
  1. ^ a b c d e "Milwaukee Brewers Managers". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  2. ^ "What is a Manager?". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  3. ^ "MLB Manager of the Year Award Winners". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on September 25, 2000. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  4. ^ "Brewers Timeline 1960s". Milwaukee Brewers. Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Joe Schultz Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on June 27, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  6. ^ "Brewers Timeline 1970s". Milwaukee Brewers. Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Dave Bristol Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  8. ^ O'Brien, Mike (May 31, 1972). "Crandall Plans to Be His Own Man". Fond Du Lac Commonwealth Reporter. Fond Du Lac. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b "Roy McMillan Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Del Crandall Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  11. ^ "Brewers Oust Manager Crandall". Portage Daily Register. Portage. September 29, 1975. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ a b c d e "Harvey Kuenn Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  13. ^ a b "Alex Grammas Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  14. ^ a b c d e "George Bamberger Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on July 10, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  15. ^ a b "Manager of the Year Award by the Sporting News". Baseball-Almanac. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  16. ^ a b c d O'Brien, Mike (September 6, 1980). "Bamberger Retires; Rogers Will Take Brewer Reins". The Post-Crescent. Appleton. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ a b "Buck Rodgers Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on June 23, 2008. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  18. ^ a b "1981 Major League Baseball Standings & Expanded Standings". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  19. ^ O'Brien, Mike (June 3, 1982). "Rodgers Out, Kuenn in as Brewer Skipper". Chippewa Herald-Telegram. Chippewa Falls. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ a b "1982 Major League Baseball Standings & Expanded Standings". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  21. ^ a b "Rene Lachemann Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on August 8, 2009. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  22. ^ Shemanski, Susan (September 26, 1986). "So Long, Bambi!". The Journal Times. Racine. p. 1B – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ a b "Tom Trebelhorn Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on July 24, 2009. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  24. ^ a b "Phil Garner Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on July 6, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  25. ^ "Brewers Timeline 1990s". Milwaukee Brewers. Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on March 31, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  26. ^ Beacham, Greg (August 13, 1999). "Selig-Prieb Hopes Moves Fire Up Brewers". The Post-Crescent. Appleton. p. F-1 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ a b "Jim Lefebvre Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on July 24, 2009. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  28. ^ a b "Davey Lopes Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  29. ^ a b McCalvy, Adam (April 18, 2002). "Lopes Fired, Jerry Royster Named Interim Manager". Milwaukee Brewers. Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  30. ^ a b "Jerry Royster Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  31. ^ a b "Ned Yost Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  32. ^ a b Feuerherd, Vic (September 16, 2008). "He's Outta Here". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ a b "Dale Sveum Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  34. ^ "2008 Major League Baseball Standings & Expanded Standings". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  35. ^ a b "Ken Macha Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on July 6, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  36. ^ a b "Ron Roenicke Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  37. ^ a b "2011 Major League Baseball Standings & Expanded Standings". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  38. ^ "Ron Roenicke Fired as Manager of Milwaukee Brewers". USA Today. May 3, 2020. Archived from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  39. ^ a b "Craig Counsell Managerial Record". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  40. ^ "Milwaukee Brewers Hire Craig Counsell as Next Manager". USA Today. May 4, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  41. ^ "2018 Major League Baseball Standings & Expanded Standings". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  42. ^ "2019 Major League Baseball Standings & Expanded Standings". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  43. ^ "2020 Major League Baseball Standings & Expanded Standings". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  44. ^ "2021 Major League Baseball Standings & Expanded Standings". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. November 22, 2021. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  45. ^ "2023 National League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on October 10, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  46. ^ McCalvy, Adam (November 6, 2023). "Counsell Moving on to Manage Division-Rival Cubs". Milwaukee Brewers. Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  47. ^ a b McCalvy, Adam (November 15, 2023). "Brewers Promote Pat Murphy to Manager". Milwaukee Brewers. Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
General

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