Atlanta Braves: Replacements for Brian Snitker

Ron Washington

Washington had an 8-year run at the helm of the Texas Rangers where he won 90 or more games 4 times and posted a .521 winning percentage. He left the Rangers in 2014 for personal reasons and had stayed away from managerial opportunities until the Braves inquired last offseason. He’s spent the 2017 season as the third base coach with the Braves.

Washington has had personal struggles, but he does have an earned reputation as a winner, having made two World Series. While he would not be the first choice to work with a team that will be young and needing a (hopefully) long-term manager due to his advanced age, Washington’s history as a winner is certainly worthy of note.

Terry Pendleton

Terry was a major part of the 1991 Atlanta Braves team that went from last place to first place, winning the 1991 National League MVP in the process and endearing himself to Braves fans for years to come. After retiring as a player in 1998, he joined the Atlanta Braves as a coach in various capacities, working as a hitting coach, base coach, and currently as the bench coach.

Pendleton is one of the most highly-regarded baseball people in the Atlanta Braves organization, and he’s been a finalist for multiple managerial jobs before. He would seem a very good selection, if the decision were to go with an internal option.

Eddie Perez

When your team has one of the best pitchers of all time in Greg Maddux, Maddux’s personal caddy catcher becomes a certain level of a folk celebrity among the Braves fan base, and that was the case with Perez. The Venezuelan was a capable backup catcher, but his value was primarily as the personal catcher for Maddux. He’s been part of the Atlanta coaching staff since he retired, primarily as the bullpen coach. He did manage in 2014-2015 in the Venezuelan Winter League, and many, including Perez, believed that was a precursor to a future major league job.

Perez was the first base coach in 2017, and he would be an excellent choice and one of the youngest options we’ll explore here. His background as a Latin player could be a very big positive in the role of manager.

Bo Porter

After a decade as a minor league and major league player, which finished with two seasons in the Atlanta Braves minor league system, Porter almost immediately found his way into coaching.

Porter was a coach with the Marlins from 2007-2009 and the Diamondbacks in 2011. The Nationals brought Porter on as their third base coach in 2011, and while serving as the Nationals third base coach, he was hired as the Houston Astros manager in 2012. He lost significant games in 2013, but that was expected with the Astros at that point in their rebuild. However, when Porter confronted the front office, the relationship soured, and though the team was taking significant steps forward in 2014, Porter was fired as the manager of the Astros in September.

The Braves hired Porter as a third base coach, and he moved up to the front office as a special assistant after the 2016 and has served in that role over the last season.

Certainly Bo would have the ear of the front office, having worked with them over the last season. He’s also an analytically-inclined manager, though he’s one that ran into some issues with his GM in Houston due to his desire to mix analytics and traditional baseball more than was desired by the front office there. Frankly, any blend of analytical thinking into on-field decision making in Atlanta would be a new direction for a manager to take, and a refreshing direction at that.

While Porter may be a choice that would seem “old guard” to a lot of fans, he would be plenty outside of the typical box in his thinking and allow for some new ideas with the team.

Dave Martinez

One of two brilliant baseball minds with Latin American roots that have been mentioned in dozens of openings over the last few years, Martinez has some history with the Atlanta Braves as a player, finishing his career in 2001 as a bench outfielder and pinch hitter for the Braves and doing quite well, hitting .287/.347/.384 in 259 plate appearances over 120 games. Martinez enjoyed a 16 year career as a major league player after being drafted by the Chicago Cubs initially, though his career was primarily as a backup outfielder.

Martinez has worked with Joe Maddon as a coach since 2007, when he initially was the Rays’ first base coach, later becoming the bench coach. He was considered a prime candidate to replace Maddon when Maddon left Tampa Bay for Chicago after 2014, but instead he joined the Chicago Cubs coaching staff as a bench coach.

Martinez is extremely well-regarded for his demeanor with players and his knowledge of the game, though he has never gone far in managerial pursuits, typically pulling his own name out of the running before getting deep into interviews.

Alex Cora

Cora is from Puerto Rico and the younger brother of another major leaguer, infielder Joey Cora. After having a very good career with the University of Miami, Cora was a bit of a journeyman utility infielder in his major league career, playing 14 seasons with the Dodgers, Indians, Red Sox, Mets, Rangers, and Nationals. He’s a rare player who was a member of both a College World Series championship and MLB World Series championship team.

Cora worked for a number of years after his retirement as the general manager of a club in the Puerto Rican Winter League. He’s also worked extensively with ESPN as a baseball analyst before taking a job in 2017 as bench coach with the Houston Astros.

Cora has been mentioned for multiple managerial openings previously and has either pulled his name out or has not been interviewed for the position. He has already been mentioned among the considerations for two other National League East jobs with the Mets and Phillies, so he will likely have plenty of interest in the offseason.

Mark DeRosa

The Atlanta Braves drafted an infielder from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996 with polish and athleticism (he started three seasons at quarterback for Penn as well) in the 7th round. He quickly worked his way up to the major leagues, debuting in September of 1998. DeRosa was a fan favorite in his 7 seasons with the Braves, primarily spent as a utility player, and fans often lamented that his best seasons were seen after he left Atlanta and found full-time playing time.

DeRosa finished up a 16 year playing career with the Braves to become a studio analyst with MLB Network. He’s worked there since 2013, and he has developed a very positive reputation around the game for his insight into the game and his ability to relate to players in the game.

Still in his early 40s, DeRosa would be a young choice for manager, and he has no previous major or minor league coaching or managing experience, which has had mixed results previously with managers like Mike Matheny in St. Louis, Brad Ausmus in Detroit, Robin Ventura with the White Sox, and Walt Weiss with the Rockies.

DeRosa, however, does have a good relationship with the front office, and there were rumors floated when Fredi Gonzalez was fired in May of 2016 that the front office would strongly consider DeRosa in the offseason. He ended up not being a finalist for the job, but it would be interesting to see if he gets a longer look this offseason.

Chipper Jones

There is really only one player in Braves history that carries more weight in Atlanta than Chipper, and that is Hank Aaron. Jones has been a special assistant with the team since his retirement after the 2012 season. Chipper has worked with various Braves players on their hitting and Braves infielders on their fielding.

When the job was open following Fredi Gonzalez’s firing, Chipper let the Atlanta Braves know that he was not interested in managing for 2017. Whether that was in deference to his long-time coach and friend Snitker or for other reasons, the 2017 season has seen Jones become more involved with the Braves organization, spending time working with the major league club and also spending time with the Braves’ minor league clubs evaluating and working with the Braves’ young prospects.

One consideration is that Chipper will be eligible for Hall of Fame induction this offseason, which he should most surely get. Having that past him could allow him to focus on his life after being a player, which could certainly include the managing job for his long-time team. He would almost assuredly get strong consideration if he showed interest in the position.

Next: Interview with Braves prospect Clouse

Regardless of the decision, the Atlanta Braves have an incredibly important decision with the status of their future in the organization. Finding the right manager will require a person patient with youth and also willing to make tough decisions when they need to be made with a young player. A manager with either the major league experience or Atlanta Braves background to have some standing when it comes to meetings with the front office and being able to assert his position with the management of the team.