As the season ends in a bad way, the Atlanta Braves are notably making no comments about the future of their manager
While many knew that the season would be another season of rebuilding with the Atlanta Braves, the direction the team has taken has led many to believe that manager Brian Snitker will be let go in the offseason.
Snitker’s tenure
Brian Snitker was a long-tenured minor league manager within the Atlanta Braves system when he was chosen to replace fired manager Fredi Gonzalez after 37 games last season. A second-half surge from the team once healthy allowed for a 59-65 record in 2016 for Snitker.
The Braves went through a managerial search in the 2016 offseason, finishing with three finalists – Snitker, Ron Washington, and Bud Black. Based primarily on the players’ relationships with Snitker as minor league players, he was the choice, though the team did attempt to keep on Black and Washington as well. Washington stayed, but Black chose to take a position with the Colorado Rockies, where he’s shown to be excellent with the Rockies’ young pitching in their Wild Card run this season.
Snitker had the team at .500 as late as mid-July, but once the team chose to trade off pieces and bring up young players, Snitker showed his struggles, and only the Detroit Tigers have had a worse second-half record this season. The Braves’ recent six-game losing streak to finish off the season will quite likely mean the end for Snitker.
So who will replace him? Let’s look at some of the options…