Column: Craig Counsell doing his best Don Zimmer imitation — and his impact on Chicago Cubs' success is real

Chicago Tribune

19 hours ago

Is Craig Counsell having a Zimmeresque season?
It was a question only old-timers could answer, and even then it's probably too early to make any conclusions.
But the comparisons between Counsell and former Cubs manager Don Zimmer are growing.
The Cubs are 42-27 with a 5½-game lead in the National League Central after Thursday's 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field, and thus far Counsell has been pushing all the right buttons.
Few managers in Cubs history have left an imprint on a particular season like Zimmer did with the 1989 team, which went 93-69 and won the National League East by six games before falling to the San Francisco Giants in the National League Championship Series.
The '89 Cubs had 39 comebacks wins that season, while Zimmer managed by his gut, ordering squeeze bunts with the bases loaded and a triple-steal with a pitcher batting. Nothing was too outlandish.
Amazingly, it almost always worked. The team with only a few stars such as Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, Rick Sutcliffe and Greg Maddux and a supporting cast of overachievers affectionately became known as 'The Boys of Zimmer.'
Counsell's 2025 Cubs have 18 comeback wins in 69 games, many in stunning fashion. He doesn't manage outside the box like Zimmer, but he has done it by stressing smarter baserunning, defense and using an occasional opener. They've managed to win despite an average rotation that's missing its two biggest pieces — Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga — and without using an experienced closer.
Counsell also has a bit of Zimmer's hotheadedness in him, as evidenced by back-to-back ejections this week in consecutive games against the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies.
There's little debate among players that Counsell has affected change in the clubhouse.
'I would think so,' center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said. 'He drives a great ship and definitely has had a great impact on me my first couple of years. It hasn't been easy, but a lot of hand holding from a lot of the influencers in this clubhouse. He's great. I love playing for him every day.'
Photos: Chicago Cubs beat Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 at Wrigley FieldCounsell even decided Wednesday that Crow-Armstrong needed his first day off, which the 23-year-old apparently wasn't thrilled about.
'Pete was not happy,' Counsell said Thursday.
And did Counsell listen to his star when the kid tried to talk his way into the lineup?
'I listened,' he said with a grin.
Counsell clarified that Crow-Armstrong wasn't really unhappy.
'Disappointed is probably the better word,' he said.
Crow-Armstrong responded by hitting a two-run home run — his team-leading 18th — in the fourth inning of Thursday's win.
Counsell has navigated past some potential land mines this season, using Seiya Suzuki as the DH despite Suzuki's preference to play the outfield, employing an opener for Ben Brown to try to cure his first-inning woes, moving Ryan Pressly from the closer's role — though Pressly did earn the save Thursday by tossing a 1-2-3 ninth — and sitting first baseman Michael Busch against most left-handers for veteran Justin Turner.
Counsell is honest enough to admit he doesn't have all the answers and conceded in spring training that he didn't handle Suzuki's situation as well as he could have in '24, promising to have better communication with the Japanese veteran. Suzuki, who hit his 17th home run and drove in his 57th run Thursday, is having his best season in the majors, though Counsell takes no credit.
'Seiya is having a great year, and that goes to what Seiya is doing on the field, 100 percent,' Counsell said. 'Conversations between Seiya and me, that's a different topic. (Communication) was something that was important to him and important to me and something we needed to be better at.'
Counsell's handling of Brown is still a work in progress. Using an opener worked well enough against the Cincinnati Reds that Counsell didn't go back to it in his next start in Detroit, where Brown dueled Tarik Skubal in a Cubs loss. Brown said that night using an opener against the Reds had helped him to understand 'I don't need to have a perfect start lined up in order to succeed.'
But Brown struggled again Wednesday in the first inning of a 7-2 loss to the Phillies, and his 10.50 ERA in the first inning remains a problem for which Counsell must find a solution.
Does Counsell have a different approach with his younger players?
'Everybody is an individual, so it's always a little different for everybody,' he said. 'I try to be direct with them. I mean, we used an opener for (Colin) Rea, so it's not like it's a 'young player thing.' It's what I think is the best way to win the game.
'Ben had to get better at some things and I think he is getting better at things. I think he knew that.'
Former White Sox manager Chuck Tanner famously said in the early 1970s that he treats every player differently.
'I don't have one rule for 25 players,' Tanner said when asked about his preferential treatment to superstar Dick Allen. 'I have 25 rules. I think communication is more important than regimentation. You don't treat a fellow of 30 the way you treat one who is 19 or 20.'
Counsell said he couldn't really relate to Tanner's edict. In fact, he doesn't believe in making any rules.
'There's a difference between standards and rules,' Counsell said. 'Rules is a word of the past a little bit.'
Instead, he believes in players meeting high standards. And with the Cubs regarded as one of the better teams in baseball now, the standards are obviously higher than ever. That became evident early on when relievers Jordan Wicks and Luke Little were quickly demoted to Triple-A Iowa after poor outings, third baseman Matt Shaw was sent down to work on his hitting and infielder Gage Workman was designated for assignment and then traded.
This was not going to be a season in which the Cubs would be patient with every youngster and just hope for the best. The bullpen has since rebounded with a 0.90 ERA in 25 games since May 14, the lowest mark in the majors. Shaw is hitting .288 since returning from Iowa and playing stellar defense at third.
These Cubs are a no-frills group who don't use props to celebrate home runs like many clubs do in this TikTok era. They're a reflection of their no-frills manager, who doesn't give great sound bites but has helped build a better culture by letting them create it themselves.
'Culture is kind of daily behavior and interaction with your group, so we try to promote good interactions and that creates a lot of it,' Counsell said. 'Our meetings create a lot of it, but interaction is great and players do that on their own as well, and that's important too.'
There's a long way to go, but Counsell's impact on the Cubs' success can't be overstated. Somewhere Zimmer is smiling.