The Braves announced this morning that they’ve signed manager Brian Snitker to a two-year contract extension through the 2023 season. The deal contains a club option for the 2024 season as well.
“I am thrilled that Brian will continue to lead our club on the field and in the clubhouse,” Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “Three consecutive division titles speak to the impact of Brian and his staff, and we are pleased that he will continue to guide our club through 2023.”
It’s the second straight spring with an extension for Snitker, although today’s additional two years (and a club option for a third) makes for a stronger vote of confidence than last year’s one-year extension. That deal would’ve expired at season’s end. Snitker now not only sheds dreaded lame-duck status but picks up job security for multiple years.
Snitker, 65, is a Braves lifer who has spent more than four decades in the organization, including the past five as the big league skipper. Originally taking over midway through the 2016 season after the dismissal of Fredi Gonzalez, Snitker managed the club to a 72-90 showing in his first full season (2017) but has captured three consecutive division titles at the helm of a team that has played .578 ball during the regular season since 2018. The Braves are 222-162 during that time, and Snitker’s overall managerial record (in the Majors) stands at 353-317.
In his 40-plus years with the organization, Snitker has managed seven different minor league affiliates, had two different stints as the Major league bullpen coach (both in the 1980s) and served as the third base coach for both Gonzalez and Bobby Cox. He was voted National League Manager of the Year in 2018 and has since finished third and fourth, respectively, in subsequent Manager of the Year balloting.
Snitker’s Braves were bounced from the postseason in the first round both in 2018 and 2019, but he found postseason success in his third opportunity in 2020. The Braves swept both the Reds and the Marlins during the first two rounds of last year’s expanded postseason format before taking the eventual World Series Champion Dodgers to their limit in a seven-game National League Championship Series showdown.
The man that will never win a World Series….Brian Snitker.
Huh? He managed a team that lost almost their entire pitching staff but still took the Dodgers to game 7 in the NLCS.
There are a lot of managers who will never have Snitker’s success. If a World Series win is you’re only measure of success, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.
YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME.
good thing Snitker is still an active manager so he still has a chance
Of course you do. And Snitker has been winning…a lot. Winning the WS requires a lot of things to fall into place. The best teams don’t always win, but Snitker and the Braves have a consistent shot to win it. That’s all you can ask for.
VegasGreek – How many WS titles do you have?
better yet, how many MLB Manager jobs has he had?
While I agree that setting the standard at “WS title” is dumb, we shouldn’t say that you can’t criticize him for not winning one because you haven’t won one. By that logic, no one here should be allowed to criticize a player ever, as we never played in the MLB
He created a ridiculous standard for manager evaluation, so I responded in kind to demonstrate the foolishness of his argument.
It’s actually similar to your statement below that there are no good managers.
Vegas, you do play to win the game and he’s definitely won a lot more than he’s lost.
By that logic Mike Scioscia, Ozzie Guillen, Bob Brenly, A.J. Hinch, Alex Cora, and Dave Martinez are great managers because they’ve all won championships.
According to @VegasCreek’s standard, that means that Barry Switzer was a greater coach than Marty Schottenheimer.
Greater, better…..same thing..lol
Al Lopez was 1410 – 1004 over 17 seasons. Never won a series.
He was a workhorse catcher also.
Handed the keys to a Ferrari with so much talent on roster and still can’t get the job done. Braves homers really like mediocre coaches, surprised after he blew last years post season. Up 3-1 on dodgers and still lose?
@tatsumaki I’m assuming you’re a Dodgers fan. You should probably be more worried about how Dave Roberts allowed a team with only two real starting pitchers (one with only a few starts under his belt) get up on his loaded Dodger team 3-1. Dave Robert’s surely did not win that series or the World Series. Pure luck and the fact that they played three straight decimated teams in the playoffs won the series for the Dodgers.
A lot of that talent didn’t arrive til late 2017/early 2018 so he was not “handed the keys to a Ferrari” by any means
Honest question, Tats: what would you have done differently with 3 healthy starters? They had to go with Minter to start a playoff game. Minter gave a gutsy effort, but that game sapped AJ and wore out the bullpen.
He just didn’t have enough SP to work with. The Dodgers also were the better team last year. They took the momentum with that Betts catch, and that with their talent won them a WS. Hats off to them. It’s hard for me to hang that on Snit, though.
I also don’t like dave roberts. Never said he didn’t have a talented roster, with his mismanagement we lost out on 1/2 rings
He’s given the Braves the best shot in over a decade. So shut your trap. You may be right, but there is no merit to your comment
Was it Snitker’s doing or was it management, scouting and development? Your Snitker point would be correct if the Braves didn’t rank near the top in farm system rankings for a stretch of time.
Maybe it was everyone working together to make the franchise as good as it can be.
Again, a silly comparison. The entire organization is a team. He’s essentially one of the main figures that head the team. So regardless of how you feel, he gets credit when things go good, and when they go bad.
gbs- only if Snitker had a say on player personnel, drafting and development.
brav,
You shouldn’t be telling anyone to “shut your trap”. All comments, positive and negative, are welcome regarding Stinker.
That’s ridiculous… they are welcomed if they are justified. In situations like this, the 100% arent. If it’s how he manages NM and Luke Jackson, then yes lol
brav,
Your argument is convincing and you’ve won me over. So, be a lamb and shut your trap. We good? Lol?
Bravesfan. In 3 years, He’s been booted from the first round 2x and the only time he advanced, he faced two mediocre teams and then his team blew a 3-1 lead
Not saying he should be on the chopping block or that he is 100% horrible. But wondering if he’s as perfect as brave fans pretend he is has merit as well
I think he did enough to be extended. But beating the Marlins and Reds isn’t really that impressive. And if you’re hanging your hat on jumping to a 3-1 lead, remember he finished the series 0-3. Having mixed opinions about him shouldn’t be controversial. Some braves fans are testy about their manager
So a couple of Braves fans stand up for him getting an extension and you think that means ‘as perfect as brave fans pretend he is’? Good grief.
I would say most Braves fans would probably tell you that they feel a whole lot better with Snitker managing than most other MLB managers. Is he ‘perfect’? Heck no, but tell me a manager who is. Everyone threw rose petals at Joe Maddon a few years back .. how is that working out. Roberts had by far the best talent in baseball last year and almost manage to mangle it. Seriously. Go look at the current list of MLB managers. I think you might start to realize he might be one of the better ones. He is winning in the toughest division in baseball right now, and that carries weight.
This ‘if you ain’t first your last’ nonsense is ridiculous. Yes, fans want championships, but more than anything they want to be ‘in it’ every year with a legitimate reason to watch.
Agree
Snitker extended good move. I’ll take him over Fredi Gonzalez any day. Now go extend Freddie Freeman like yesterday. Please and thank you!
After the epic choke against the Dodgers he gets renewed? Should have been fired in November.
You don’t fire the manager because the team loses three games in a row against the eventual World Series champs.
I agree with gbs, Nick Saban lost early on at Alabama… if he was fired due to williem‘s logic, then they likely would have never have won all those championships. Lol
By that logic, the Indians should have fired Tito after the 2016 world series loss to the Cubs….. They too had a 3-1 lead.
@williem …That wasn’t on Snitker, the Braves simply just didn’t have the SP depth…
Also, Snitker was chosen by the players to manage this team, and they chose and went to bat for him for a reason!! Snitker, along with Weiss, Ron Washington, Seitzer, and Castro combine to make one of the best coaching staffs in baseball.
Exactly. More blame for last years shortfall falls on AA. He didn’t remotely give snit the tools needed to complete. Snit Macgver’d it and got where we did. AA didn’t even do a good job of providing broken tools. He straight left the team hanging
I think he did, but no one saw Soroka’s freak injury coming. Hamels was a slight risk, but not that big of one. Now, if they had relied on Folty or Newcomb then I would have said it was on AA, but he did go out and get help.
He also built possibly the best bullpen in baseball last year and has made some great free agent signings from the regulars (just not SP’s).
I just wish people could say, AA built on a good team and nearly got them there, and Snitker managed well and nearly got them there, but they were just beaten by the best team in baseball. To me, is sucks not winning, but it’s not shameful.. Now, the Falcons loss to the Pats .. shameful.
If the Braves keep doing what they’re doing, he won’t be going anywhere. Good move
Braves fan here. This is the worst news of the offseason.
He seems to have a man-crush on Puke Jackson, always bringing him in despite being our worst reliever.
He is not the worst reliever that they have. And you’re not an actual fan, you’re just someone who happened to watch on TBS in the 90s.
Well, you said it, so it must be true. Is that the rationale here?
Yes. Similar to saying that unless the Braves get MadBum they will not make it to the NLCS.
What are the complaints about his managing? What do critics feel he does wrong?
my only problem is his pitching decisions/over use of bp, but in all fairness over using BPs has become pretty common in the last decade
He does not use platoon splits like he should. He played Nick Marksis way more than should have last couple of seasons. But overall he’s not bad. I still think he is still a top 15 manager in the league, maybe as high as 10-11. I’m basing that completely on my personal opinion as to other managers I would take over him.
Kind of a ridiculous statement. If AA would have given him a complete roster (rotation) last season, we would could have had the best regular season and won a World Series. In fact, he’s gotten technically gotten us as a manager to the closest of winning a champ in over a decade… you devalue all the good that has happen to the organization since he’s been manager.
You can’t assume that lol. Those players could of been bad. People always say “if we were healthy” so you still lost. Never use that as an excuse. Snitker is a good manager, but don’t come in with that crap if we were healthy.
My take on the “if we were healthy” comments, is that if healthy, you’re assuming that the team has it’s best chance to compete. I don’t think being healthy guarantees anything however as you said.
Could have vs would have are two different statements. I purposefully put “could” to imply there was no assumption but that AA simply didn’t do anything to ensure the team had the best shot at a title. At least attempt to read the the comment before embarrassing yourself.
Oh lord. This argument
The entire challenge of being a champion is getting thru the season and playoffs healthy enough to duke it out with the best of the other league. The fact the Braves couldn’t get a roster together in 2020 to win 4 games against LA proves they didn’t deserve to be champion. Period. They failed in the aspect of maintaining health and performing when games meant the most. That’s a real reason why they lost. It’s not luck or whatever else you all claim
Btw, Snit was great because Ozuna and Freeman had otherworldly years in unison. Is anyone expecting that to continue, at the same pace? I’m certainly not
8man does not speak for all Braves fans
Nor do you.
Amen. He has the worst takes of any Braves fan I’ve ever seen.
Agreed. He shouldn’t even call himself a Braves fan
What are you even talking about, 8man? He’s been a winner as a manager and the players love him.
Also, if your gripe is with his use of Luke Jackson, wouldn’t bringing back Jackson be the worst move of the offseason? Just saying.
I’m a Braves fan, and I think it’s great news.
#managersdontmatter
Entirely false. The debate is on to what degree they matter. Pete Mackanin in Philly a few years back definitely negatively effected that club house more than Joe Girardi did
You are actually right. Managers only have a negative impact on the team. Teams are looking for a manager that minimizes his detriment. No manager is good. They are only less bad.
Depends who your GM is. Mike Rizzo a former scout usually lets Davey makes the decision because he doesn’t have much experience for in game. Bran Cashman makes all the decision for Aaron Boone. SO your statement is kinda right kinda wrong
If you think the Mets would have won with ANYONE other than Gil Hodges at the helm then you weren’t there when it happened. Great manager and he made the team better every day.
Steve, if managers provided no benefit, teams would not have them. In these days of efficiency, they would use a player-manager or pay somebody as little as possible to do exactly what the front office tells them to do.
Managers are like substitute teachers. Obviously you need them there otherwise no one would do any work, but they really are just making sure the kids do what the teachers (the front office) want them to do. You could shuffle them every week and see no meaningful difference in the outcomes of games.
Steve, do you have any evidence to support this stance or just your opinion?
Do you have any evidence to suggest they do matter? There is no way to gather this sort of evidence. It’s all speculation. I’m just having fun hyperbolizing.
I disagree. Use LA as an example. They have the talent to win 95+ games with anyone at the helm no argument. But few managers in the league today, and fewer let’s say 10 years ago, would use the number of platoon, multi-positional moves and plain swaps as Robert’s does in LA. In 2020 with the DH, Robert’s used 4/5 or 5/5 guys on his bench most nights. Robert’s has squeezed the absolute best out of that roster each of the last few years, and that’s hardly always the case for highly talented teams. Look at underperforming Chicago+Philly+LAA+SF and so many others in the past. Money doesn’t guarantee winning. Someone needs to guide the ship
It would be very easy for a team like LA to coast on their laurels sometime over the last 8 years and not take a regular season seriously. Expect the division title, Slip up for a month and suddenly not get to 100 wins. Instead they are trying to outdo themselves year over year. Averaging over 100 wins each the last 3 years and 2020 were on pace for over 115. No, most managers would not have that level of consistent success with all the injuries+personalities Robert’s has managed
why do we rag on MacKanin’s teams? they all sucked and no HoF manager could have done anything to avoid that?
Hard disagree. If the 90’s Braves had Torre or LaRussa as their manager I’d bet money they would’ve won at least 2 titles, if not more. Bobby Cox was a big reason those great teams underachieved.
I tend to agree with your takes often but definitely don’t agree on this one. Poor managers can sink a talented team. Great managers will get every bit of talent and effort out of a team and then some.
Anyway you slice it, they should be paying him more than peanuts.
Cant say it’s not deserved…. BUT just like player contracts, he needs incentives in his as well. For example and likely the most important, incentives for less playing times for his go to boys (Ender, Luke Jackson, Nick Markakis … if he comes back).
You may ask, why doesn’t AA just remove the temptation of letting Snit play such bad players? Welp, there are some mysteries that just can’t be solved people… we just have to accept it.
Luke Jackson is not as bad as some Braves fans think. But he’s not quite as good as he’s been either. Ender will be gone this year and Markakis will not come back.
I agree with Luke Jackson but he was pretty bad in 2020. And he’s not as good as Snit like to play him in higher leverage situations. Which is frustrating. Yes Ender will be gone, thank you lord! And I don’t buy that NM won’t be back. I just don’t buy it. Our bench is weak and you got to think he would be willing to sign at a pretty cheap deal. If so, then you have to worry about Snit playing him lol
lol. I know. But if AA could get it in writing that snit won’t play NM 5 days out of the week, I’d be okay bringing him and Flowers back. The bench really is terrible. I’m with you on Luke Jackson being bad in 2020. But how much should we be taking that with a grain of salt. Jackson was really good in 2019 and kinda saved that bullpen from being even worse than it was in the first half. Plus, I have always wondered why so many Braves fans rag on Jackson but give minter a pass. He was pretty terrible recently but 2020 looked good. Relievers are just fairly volatile, especially young ones.
Nick and flowers make our bench immediately better. I’m totally fine bringing both of them bat if they don’t play much. Wish we could somehow dump Enders salary to provide some more flexibility to improve the bench. Some rumors say we only have like 5 million to work with.
If Luke Jackson could pitch like he did in 2019 but in the 6th inning or in lower leverage situations in general, I’d be very happy with that
I’m not entirely sure, but I’d highly doubt you could structure a manager’s contract where you’re giving him incentives based on playing time. The MLBPA would rightfully have a huge gripe.
One example off the top of my head:
*A player misses a very large performance bonus because the manager collected a smaller bonus not to play him.
I’m clearly poking fun at Snits uncontrollable desire to play these 3 guys no matter what. In fact, AA had to take 2 of them off the playoff roster to prevent Snit from playing them in important games.
I am a fan of the Walter Alston, Red Schoendienst, Gil Hodges sort of even handed old school approach. I see Francona as a follower in that regard. I think Joe Torre was also a practitioner of said approach. I don’t know the Braves manager but I remember Wally Cox was a bit of a hothead. (Intentionally wrong first name but if you know who Wally Cox was you might get the joke).
“There’s no need to fear, Underdog is here.”
Well deserved.
Tito Francona after the game 3 blowout in 2004:
“We’re not done. I fully expect them to come out tomorrow and play their asses off.”
I don’t see anything negative resulting there. Only an 8 game winning streak.
I love hearing this news. The guy is the perfect manager for this team. The players like him, they play hard for him, and the team has good chemistry. He’s been a key ingredient in their success.
Managers are no more nor less important than they’ve ever been. A huge part of the team. Period.
Macon HS in the show!
Two points:
(1) The Braves are poised to be very, very good. They’re still the team to beat in the NL East, despite what the other teams have done. Why would you change.?
(2) Managers do more than the X’s and O’s; that’s all done by the geeks now anyway. Snit’s handling of the Acuna situation was pretty solid; it could have blown up to be very ugly.
Good move. But AA usually makes them.
I’m just glad we get more of those postgames. Snitker always looks so goofy in those.
Glad to hear it. From everything I’ve heard and read, he seems like a great guy and coach. Hopefully this means Freddie’s extension is coming.
What everyone seems to be forgetting is that he’s been very successful in a short period of time where the rebuilding process ended quicker than expected. Plus, the players love him. He gets everything he can and then some out of his players. That’s a hard quality to replace.
Casey Stengel was a pure genius as the manager of the Yankees for a decade and then a idiot as manager of the 1962 Met’s ( arguably the worst team in MLB history ) , what happened ?
Those Yankee teams were stars and future HOF players everyplace and the Met’s were a collection of cast offs and hasbens or never would be guy’s.
Snit isn’t the all time best nor the worst, he is steady and knows the game. I like keeping the staff together and imagine the players do also. Continuity is important.
Looks like the team just keeps trying to lose.
Good signing. Stinker has a nose for talent. Now go get Odorizzi