After finishing as one of the surprise teams in Major League Baseball, the Atlanta Braves officially announced Monday that manager Brian Snitker will be returning. Atlanta finished with a 90-72 record in 2018, capturing its first NL East title since 2013. The Braves were eliminated in the NLDS by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the season has to be considered a success after the team surpassed pre-season expectations.
The Atlanta #Braves and manager Brian Snitker have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with a club option for the 2021 season: pic.twitter.com/CsReyEyU9x
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 15, 2018
Atlanta Braves Extend Manager Brian Snitker
Snitker officially took over the role of manager on an interim basis during the 2016 season. After a disappointing 9-28 start under then-manager Fredi Gonzalez, Snitker led the Braves to a 59-65 mark the rest of the way.
The 2017 season brought along more struggles as Atlanta finished 72-90 in Snitker’s first full season at the helm. The Braves battled through an ineffective rotation and injuries to first baseman Freddie Freeman and Matt Kemp. There were bright spots as Ozzie Albies made his debut and showed flashes of his potential at second base. Lefty Sean Newcomb also debuted and posted the third-lowest ERA of a Braves pitcher with 10 or more starts in 2017.
Though the team results were disappointing, blaming Snitker did not make much sense. It was clear for much of the season that Atlanta needed a lot of work done to the roster, and the attention of management was towards the future.
New GM Arrives
As fans shifted their attention to a 2018 season, a scandal rocked the franchise that had the potential to turn things sideways. John Coppolella, then GM for the Braves, resigned amid allegations and investigation of improper dealings in the international market. As a result, Coppolella would eventually be banned from baseball for life. Atlanta was also stripped of many prospects, including prized prospects Kevin Maitan and Korean SS Ji-Hwan Bae.
In the end, Atlanta was able to stabilize the outfall from the situation with the hiring of Alex Anthopoulos as GM and executive vice president. The hiring of Anthopoulos was seen as a great move by many around baseball, and the only question remaining was whether or not Anthopoulos would bring in his own manager to replace Snitker.
Following the success of 2018, keeping Snitker made the most sense, and the team has now locked up its manager through 2020. The extension also includes a club option for 2021. Now its time to get to work and improve on the success of a 90-win season.
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