NL DIVISION SERIES: BREWERS VS BRAVES

October 7, 2021

Craig Counsell

American Family Field

Milwaukee Brewers

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Willy said he feels physically good coming in here. How good is that for you to hear after sort of being as careful as you could with that quad? And how important is it to have a player like him to feel 100 percent given his energy on the field?

CRAIG COUNSELL: Willy, I think his last week, he felt great on the field. Another four days only helps that. So it's great. He's made a huge impact on us. We're all aware of the energy that he's provided. We're well aware of the energy he provided to Tampa during the playoffs.

He's capable of big things. He's capable of being an emotional guy that really helps you. And I expect we'll get that.

Q. When you guys lost D.J. to the Reds and Chris Hook was named pitching coach, we heard, oh, my goodness, how does he replace D.J. You don't hear that -- a few years later we stopped hearing that a long time ago. How did it go for you as manager and getting to know Chris Hook and seeing how he helped your staff?

CRAIG COUNSELL: I think Chris has become a really, really good pitching coach and one of the top pitching minds in the league right now.

He's got a really unique skill set of a great ability to understand data, understand pitch shapes, understand everything that's being thrown at him, and being able to translate it to pitchers in a way they really love and really like and really understand how to use it to make them better.

And that's a gift. It's talent, maybe is a better way to say it. It's something that he's worked hard on developing. But he's good at it.

And so I think really what he's shown you in this area makes him a great pitching coach. And it makes him the perfect pitching coach for this organization.

Q. In the years you played here and maybe even in your years to growing up here, the Brewers have tried hard to churn out great pitching and didn't always do it. Without giving away all the organization's secrets, what do you think the Brewers have done better in terms of getting guys like Burnes, Woody and Peralta up here?

CRAIG COUNSELL: First of all, it's not easy. It's not like, for most -- the way pitching works in the big leagues, for most teams, is that the pitchers go somewhere else and succeed. It takes a while to become a really good starting pitcher. It's very rare for the young player in the league. So most guys end up in the next organization. It's common and it's normal almost.

It's the special group of players that we have more than anything. This is a special group of guys. And I think that's where you start with this is their talent.

And then I think overall, organizationally, we poured a lot into understanding pitching, trying to develop it, trying to find it in every corner. Trying to understand where it comes from, what are the signals that make it in scouting.

And it's been exhaustive. You just keep doing that. And it ends up in a process where you kind of just stack a couple good decisions on top of each other along with some really talented people, players, and you end up in a spot where you've got some home-grown guys.

But the home grown part of it is -- this is where this group of guys kind of came in. And we're really fortunate from that perspective. There was a little fortune in that perspective in terms of how they've all lined up.

Q. Fourth year in a row as manager for you in the postseason, and you've been in some of the biggest moments as a player that you could be in. What did you learn over the years to kind of the night before you get things started to just check your emotions, set the tone for the team? What do you do the next 12 to 24 hours?

CRAIG COUNSELL: I think you enjoy yourself is what happens in the next couple of hours on the field. You just enjoy yourself. And then, look, we're like everybody else. We're excited. Can't wait to get on the field. Can't wait to get to the park tomorrow.

Of course, there's some nerves. There's some nervous energy, like everybody else. So I don't think there's anything special I do. I'm going to go have dinner with my family tonight, which everybody else is going to do. So we don't have any special programs like that.

And we're looking forward to -- you play all year and you work hard and it's for these games. These are the most fun games for these guys to play in. And that's because what the fans bring to it. The atmosphere around it. They're incredible atmospheres to play in.

It's a night of anticipation and a day of anticipation today.

Q. You challenged the starters, Corbin and Freddy and Woody specifically, to kind of carry the team, right? That was their challenge for this year? How proud are you for just the way they've consistently done that and set the tone for the team?

CRAIG COUNSELL: In spring training, we knew we had an elite group. And I think the challenge for them was to do it. And we had a couple of guys that were on their heels -- and Adrian and Eric to like keep up.

And that's how we were going to be a really good baseball team. And all five of those guys have absolutely done it. And they've kind of led the charge. And probably as much as anything, they've taken on that responsibility of "I want to be great." Because it's not enough to just say that. You've got to live that. And they have. And that's the most impressive part of it.

Q. I was reading in the Players' Tribune, Kolten Wong's article that he wrote about, among other things, how well he meshed into the organization and other newcomers, whether it's Vogelbach or Willy Adames. Specifically, what has the organization done to make these newcomers feel so welcome here in Milwaukee to perform like the way they performed this year?

CRAIG COUNSELL: Well, the players deserve a lot of credit for that. And that's just the players welcoming new faces. Kind of the understanding that there are going to be new faces, that we need new faces to succeed if the group wants to succeed.

And I think that's in us. We know that has to happen. Whether it be a young player, untested player, player kind of comes from out of nowhere or a veteran player.

And we know it's going to be that way. And I think that creates an atmosphere that I want this guy to succeed. And that's very helpful.

Q. Without revealing too much, as you started to dig into a little more into this Atlanta team -- I know you faced them in July and all -- but what sticks out to you about partially their reason for success in the second half and rolling into this postseason?

CRAIG COUNSELL: Well, teams that make the postseason, there's not a lot of weaknesses. And I think to get through 162 games, your weaknesses get exposed. They don't have a lot of weaknesses.

I think at one point in the season they were struggling a little bit. They certainly took off in the second half. Their acquisitions at the trade deadline, they basically remade their outfield at the trade deadline. All three of those guys will probably be in the lineup tomorrow. That's a big deal when you get three regulars in your lineup in late July.

Max Fried has pitched really well in the second half. He's been really good. And their bullpen, even when we saw it at different times, I feel like their bullpen is just solid, consistent, versatile. They can throw a lot at you, different types of arms at you.

And that to me leads to over 162 games, every bullpen has a little bit ups and downs, but at least consistency over the long term.

Q. Regarding Kolten, you managed against him so many times over the last several years. What's the biggest thing you learned about him as a player this year that maybe you didn't know beforehand, just having him as one of your guys?

CRAIG COUNSELL: It's easy. I think you learn to love -- any great defender, you learn to love watching them play every day. So you play on other teams, you play against great defenders, the nature of the game is you don't always get the opportunity to see it. But when you're with somebody for the 110, 120 games he's played, played in every day, to see a magical defender play every day and see him do the things that make him great, it's one of the reasons why you love the game. I love the game.

And playing a position that I played a lot and watching him do it, it gives me chills, honestly. He's so fun to watch do it. He does it in such a graceful way and really unique way that it's cool. It's hard to -- sometimes it's hard to describe. You get excited talking about it.