Interim Braves GM John Hart announced today that the team will retain Fredi Gonzalez for the 2015 season and hire recently dismissed Astros manager Bo Porter as a third base/outfield and baserunning coach (Twitter links). According to a team press release, assistant hitting coach Scott Fletcher will not be returning to the organization in 2015, and Porter will replace former third base coach Doug Dascenzo. Hitting coach Greg Walker already announced his resignation earlier this week. The remainder of the coaching staff will return, according to the Braves.
The news may not sit well with Braves fans, as many called for Gonzalez to suffer the same fate as recently fired GM Frank Wren following the team’s collapse and offensive struggles. Gonzalez, however, will be retained for a fifth season as the Atlanta skipper. To this point, the Braves are 358-290 under Gonzalez, who has also managed the Marlins and owns a lifetime 634-569 record as a Major League manager.
David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported shortly before the announcement that Porter was expected to join the Braves’ staff (Twitter links). As O’Brien noted, Porter has strong ties to Gonzalez after spending three years with him as a coach for the Marlins and playing for him when Gonzalez managed Triple-A Richmond in 2002.
Can we as Braves fans buy Liberty media stock and then as a group demand they make real decisions with regards to the team?
Bo was good in a similar role in Washington. Maybe he can get though to the two headed Upton monster..
Same old, same old from the Braves. Apparently they are utterly terrified of actually taking the organization in a new (and better) direction. And shame on Gonzalez. Not only is he a horrid manager; he was perfectly willing to throw 3 of his coaches under the bus to save his own hide. How courageous.
Know what’s funny about this statement? You can very well say the exact same thing about the Mets. Kudos to the Braves hiring Porter. I wish he was on our coaching staff.
Looks as though the Mets may have enough young talent coming (at least on the pitching side) to make up for their management team, though. I *hope* Porter isn’t just being brought on because he’s an old buddy of Fredi’s…I’m hoping he’s there to step in when Fredi gets fired in season next year. But after all these moves, I’m not all that hopeful that that’s the case.
Well he should have thrown one more under the bus …Terry Pendleton….and then put himself in the drivers seat and headed off into the sunset to parts unknown. I can’t take another season of after game “excuse” press conferences and i sure as heck wont spend another dime on this team until they acquire a fiery manager that holds his players accountable. FG and TP need to go.
In that great Braves run in the 90s, it’s an odd coincidence that the World Series victory was when TP was elsewhere.
I was a fan of TP’s in his playing days, but not so much during his tenure as hitting coach, but I will say this for him…the team had much better offensive numbers before he was reassigned than they have had since. But, that could also very well be from the differences in personnel between then and the last 2+ years. I honestly doubt that any hitting coach could change the behavior of a large chunk of the roster the Braves had in 2014.
What do Fredi Gonzalez managed teams and a black hole have in common? They collapse when it matters. /end bad joke
Cox loves Fredi so he is here to stay. That being said if ’15 is a failure they won’t be able to ignore it anymore and Fred will be gone. Now who is going to be hitting coach?
Bobby is really hurting this franchise now. The statements he made at the press conference were incredibly mind-boggling.
Are you sure about 2015? I don’t know of many people who thought they could ignore 2014, but they are sure going to. (shrug)
I think a more important question about the hitting coach is: when are they going to get some players who are willing to be coached, no matter who the new coach is.
The Braves have experienced 2/4 record breaking collapses and one very poorly managed postseason series under Fredi Gonzalez. 4th time’s the charm apparently. They needed to clean house this offseason. Our already bad attendance is just going to fall off even more.
What a shame. Im sure Freddie is a good guy and I have nothing against him as a person but come on. Its going to be next to impossible to get rid of some of these guys (players) because of their horrible contracts. Barring some miracle work by the next GM, the same core will be back. These guys have already quit on Freddie. The only shot of changing their attitudes was to get someone in there to light a fire under them. next year……Same club, same manager, same result
Odd, usually the manager gets fired as well…and Fredi deserves to be fired.
Yea but, The Braves Way! Whatever that means. If it’s anything similar to the Carolina Way (Tar Heel fan) I want no part.
Would have been fun if the D-backs hired Porter. One grit lord to another.
I’ve had it with this stubborn good ol boy Braves front office. If they don’t care about their team why should I? Fredi is incapable of managing a big league team. How much more clear can that be? Hart, Schuerholz, Cox, Fredi G: they should all go.
Whoa Bo gets around. I thought was watching him on MLB network like right now.
Seems like a short leash for Freddie and an easy out for management. A poor start next year makes Porter the quick replacement and lets the new GM deflect the heat from fans. He then has the choice of keeping Porter or finding a replacement in-season.
I hope you are right about Porter, but the way this thing is turning out so far, I’m not hopeful about that. I think he’s just Fredi’s guy and was available. (shrug) That’s the amount of confidence I have in the people making decisions in this organization (that is, almost zero).
Thank you Braves …. now you can Cancell my season tickets !!!!!!!!
Porter being groomed to take over the reins upon the first Braves’ losing streak of 2015.
Finally someone sees it. Porter did a good job in a situation in HOU where the GM had a lot more involvement in the team than most. It’s interesting they’re hiring someone as a coach with previous managing experience – and while that’s not uncommon – it’s especially interesting that they’re hiring someone that has a good record in player development, as Schuerholz has noted that we have lacked under Wren, and we need back to “the Braves Way”. I can completely see Porter taking over for Gonzalez during the season, amidst a losing streak.
Awful news for Braves fans. It’s not even the offensive issues that bug me with Fredi Gonzalez, but his decision making in general. Far too often he’ll mismanage the bullpen and soon those 1-0 deficits become 4-0 or 7-0… He was in charge during the collapse in 2011 (burned up the bullpen and essentially ruined Jonny Venters’ career) and also, can’t forget his decision to pitch to Pence with Michael Martinez on deck in Game 162 of that season… Either way, he’s a terrible manager.
This franchise needs to get rid of Bobby Cox, Fredi Gonzalez, and John Schuerholz… People act as if Frank Wren is solely responsible for all the bad signings, well… Guess who was overseeing his moves? Oh yeah, John Schuerholz…
The news may not sit well with Braves fans? There’s no maybe about it. Stinks knowing next year is a total waste. Must be what it’s like for Mets fans every year
As a Nats fan, I approve of this move.
Bo Porter is a winner and a motivator. Freddi and Frank Wren didn’t mix well the same way Bo was with his GM. Doesn’t make anyone wrong or right it just doesn’t work. Let’s let these guys show how they can help the Braves players get it done and judge them at the end of the year. What the Braves need is a stadium full of fans cheering them on, let’s give it our best shot and we will come away winners!