{"id":913568,"date":"2019-06-24T14:43:15","date_gmt":"2019-06-24T19:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesportsdaily.com\/?p=913568"},"modified":"2023-05-12T12:35:14","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T16:35:14","slug":"snitker-helping-braves-avoid-other-nl-east-foes-fate-wow11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesportsdaily.com\/news\/snitker-helping-braves-avoid-other-nl-east-foes-fate-wow11\/","title":{"rendered":"Snitker Helping Braves Avoid Other NL East Foes’ Fate"},"content":{"rendered":"
In the fall of 2016, there was a good deal of conversation regarding the managerial position in Atlanta. Earlier that season, the Braves fired Bobby Cox’s hand-picked successor, Fredi Gonzalez, and put minor league lifer Brian Snitker in charge. The Braves rebounded after a 9-28 start under Gonzalez to finished 59-65 after the firing. Nevertheless, the belief was that Atlanta would seek out a more-established manager for their building nucleus of young talent. Conversely, they might seek out a younger manager to grow with their players. Either way, Snitker’s days looked numbered.<\/p>\n
One favorite was Bud Black, the long-time Padres manager who was fired by San Diego in 2015 during his ninth season with the team he used to pitch for. Black’s Padres had never made the playoffs and only finished with a winning record twice before he was let go. Another possibility was Ron Washington, who had a tumultuous ending to his nearly eight years at the helm in Texas, which included a World Series appearance in back-to-back seasons. Other possibilities included Terry Pendleton and Eddie Perez, who both played and coached for Bobby Cox.<\/p>\n
People like me – analytical nerds<\/em> – thought the team should be more creative, believing that John Coppolella, then the Braves GM and an outside-the-box thinker, would be best paired with another innovative individual at the helm of the Braves.<\/p>\n
One of my favorites was Dave Martinez, then Joe Maddon’s right-hand man and a former Brave himself. Other Braves fans liked Gabe Kapler, who had worked for sabermetric favorite Baseball Prospectus and was a year into a position as Director of Player Development for the Dodgers. There were many other names I could go into, but those two had a number of backers.<\/p>\n
More on them later.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, the Braves chose to give Snitker a one-year contract with an option for 2018. It was a bit puzzling to make such a minor commitment. Kapler, Martinez, and many others continued in their previous jobs and the 2017 season played itself out. The Braves surprised the league and their fans with their competitive play, even reaching .500 on July 16. Unfortunately, they faded over their last 72 games, winning just 27 of them. Nevertheless, there was a lot of reason for cautious optimism. While he struggled, Dansby Swanson was coming off his first full season in the majors and new double-play partner, Ozzie Albies, arrived over the last two months. The rotation was getting younger with Mike Foltynewicz and Sean Newcomb, plus we witnessed the debuts of Luiz Gohara, A.J. Minter, and Max Fried. Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. was baseball’s top prospect in the minors and Kolby Allard, Mike Soroka, and Kyle Wright looked close to being added to the mix.<\/p>\n