BREWERS
Counsell hired as manager
MILWAUKEE — Craig Counsell enjoyed a solid but unspectacular major league career, hitting .255 over 16 seasons. He is confident he will have more success as a manager.
“It’s an honor, and it’s humbling, but I feel like this is what I was meant to do,” Counsell said at a news conference Monday after his hiring to replace Ron Roenicke as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers. “I think I’ll be better at this than I was at playing.”
Counsell, a 44-year-old Milwaukee native, spent the final five seasons of his career with the Brewers, retiring after the 2011 season.
“I’m not looking at this as a job. This is my passion and what I want to do,” Counsell said. “These opportunities are rare. This opportunity is the one, and it’s the rarest.”
A major league-worst 7-18, the Brewers lost 40 of their final 56 games under Roenicke, who was fired Sunday night despite a contract running through 2016. The skid included a late-season collapse last year, after they led the NL Central for nearly five months, and a 2-13 start this season.
Counsell has no previous managing or coaching experience. He was given a contract through the 2017 season.
“He played the game with a chip on his shoulder and he played the game to win,” general manager Doug Melvin said. “He has a real edge for preparation.”
Roenicke became the first manager fired 25 games or fewer into a season since 2002, according to STATS. Detroit’s Phil Garner (six games), Milwaukee’s Davey Lopes (15), Colorado’s Buddy Bell (22) and Kansas City’s Tony Muser (23) were all let go quickly that year.
On March 19, Milwaukee exercised its 2016 option on Roenicke. But Melvin met with team owner Mark Attanasio on the off day last Thursday and discussed a possible change.
RANGERS
Hamilton plays first extended spring training game
SURPRISE, Ariz. — Josh Hamilton played in extended spring training for the Texas Rangers on Monday, his first game of any kind since last October.
Hamilton struck out once and hit three grounders to first base in Arizona, a week after the Los Angeles Angels completed a trade that sent to slugger back to Texas. He played three innings in left field.
“Seeing live pitching, getting his timing down, all those sort of things are going to take some time,” Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels said. “But physically, the shoulder, the reports that we’re getting, you can’t tell there was an issue. He seems to be 100 percent, running well, throwing well.”
Hamilton had not played in a game since last fall, when he was hitless in 13 at-bats as the Angels were swept by Kansas City in the AL division series. He had offseason shoulder surgery, and had a self-reported relapse with alcohol and cocaine.
Daniels, who compared Monday’s game to the first intrasquad in the first week of spring training, said the 2010 AL MVP and five-time All-Star will remain in Arizona several more days before joining Round Rock, the organization’s Class AAA team based just outside of Austin, Texas.
Round Rock is playing a series in Omaha through Thursday, then has a four-game set in Nashville through Monday. The Express then are back home.
The Rangers have said Hamilton will spend 10-14 days at Triple-A, meaning he could be back in the majors the second half of this month. Hamilton has been in Arizona since last Tuesday.
After surgery on Feb. 4, Hamilton never report to spring training with the Angels. He did his shoulder rehabilitation in the Houston area.
BLUE JAYS
Hitting coach Jacoby suspended 14 games
TORONTO — Toronto Blue Jays hitting coach Brook Jacoby has been suspended 14 games for his postgame conduct toward the umpires following an April 29 game at Boston.
Joe Torre, Chief Baseball Officer for Major League Baseball, announced the suspension Monday.
After Russell Martin was called out on strikes by Adrian Johnson for the final out of Toronto’s 4-1 loss, members of the Blue Jays coaching staff traded words with the umpiring crew as they left the field.
At Fenway Park, the umpires exit through the visitor’s dugout and share a tunnel with the players to their respective locker rooms. Following the runway incident with the Toronto coaches — of which no details have been provided — baseball sent a memo instructing visiting teams to remain in the dugout until the umpires have passed through.
The Blue Jays intend to appeal Jacoby’s suspension and say they will not comment until their appeal is heard.
Unlike players, who may remain active while awaiting appeals, coaches and managers are required to begin serving their suspensions as soon as they are issued. Jacoby began serving his with Monday night’s game against the New York Yankees.
— The Associated Press