Craig Counsell fires back at reporter over ridiculous Christopher Morel criticism

Craig Counsell is the steady hand at the helm for a Chicago Cubs team trying to keep its season afloat heading into the July 30 trade deadline. His calm, collected demeanor has drawn ire from fans looking for more fire from the Cubs skipper lately, and following Sunday's walk-off win, they got a bit of that in his postgame press conference.

ESPN's Jesse Rogers questioned Christopher Morel's approach in a late-inning at-bat, characterizing it as 'swinging for the lake'. Counsell was clearly put off by that assessment and immediately made that clear in his response.

His response is still far from heated or visibly angry, but that's not who Counsell is as a manager. He did directly fire back on Rogers' comment, saying, 'that's a bad take,' which is the first time we've seen him be that blunt with a reporter. Of course, he developed a reputation during his time in Milwaukee as being very direct with players and staff, so this fits the bill.

The lack of fireworks doesn't mean Craig Counsell isn't frustrated

What the fanbase needs to understand is that, despite any Lou Piniella-esque base throwing or total meltdowns, Counsell hates to lose. He doesn't need to blow a gasket for that to be true. Sunday offered a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes frustration he's working through daily, in the first year of a record-setting five-year, $40 million contract that came with postseason expectations from day one.

As for Morel, yes, he's failed to live up to the hype he carried with him into the 2024 season. He's at -0.2 bWAR on the year with a 91 OPS+ and has been a liability defensively. The Cubs have preached patience with him all year long, citing expected metrics, but it's clear we all expected more from him this year.

After salvaging the finale against Arizona, the Cubs have only the narrowest of margins heading into a three-game set against Milwaukee at Wrigley. One more poor showing from Counsell's club could have everyone doing some serious self-evaluation come October with the Friendly Confines once again sitting empty this fall.