Top 5 Notre Dame Baseball Players of All Time
By Bobby Norell
No.2 IF Craig Counsell
Counsell helped jumpstart Notre Dame baseball’s great run of success. He played for the Irish from 1989 to 1992. He was part of ND’s 1989 and 1992 NCAA Tournament teams, which were their first appearances in over 19 years. Counsell was actually the captain and MVP of the ’92 team. As member of the Irish baseball team he was a career .306 hitter.
Counsell was drafted in the 11th round in the 1992 MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies and made his debut in 1995. In the middle of the 1997 season the Rockies shipped him off to the Florida Marlins where he would be part of history. Counsell helped the Marlins to their first World Series Championship in franchise history. Counsell scored the game winning run in game 7 of the World Series.
After two more seasons with the Marlins, Counsell signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2000. A year later he would be part of Arizona’s 2001 World Series Championship team. During the 2001 playoff run, Counsell was named NLCS MVP where he hit .381 with 4 RBIs in a series win over Atlanta Braves.
Counsell played 16 big league seasons and retired after the 2011 season. He finished with a career average of .255 and on-base percentage of .341. Counsell will be remembered for playing key roles on two improbable World Series winners and for also having perhaps the quirkiest batting stance of all time. He currently is the manager of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Next: Brad Lidge