In the immediate wake of the 2017 season, the Atlanta Braves were very much in a state of flux. John Coppolella’s sudden resignation as General Manager and the scandal that caused his resignation (and eventual exile from baseball) rocked the Braves and there was a sense of uncertainty surrounding the immediate future of the franchise and their general trajectory. While the future of the GM spot may have been a mystery at that point, the braintrust that was running the Braves at that point did decide to make one decision before eventually landing Alex Anthopoulos as their new GM.
Brian Snitker successfully navigated a whirlwind of change in one calendar year
The 2018 NL Manager of the Year wasn’t even a lock to be 2018 manager of the Braves after the 2017 season ended. Now, he’s the picture of stability.
Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images
That decision was the one to exercise the club option on Brian Snitker’s contract as manager. At the time, it seemed a bit strange to confirm the manager before bringing in the GM but it was understandable when you consider that the franchise was desperately seeking some sort of stability at that point.
Despite only winning 72 games in 2017, Snitker was already wildly popular among his own players and it was to the point where Nick Markakis reportedly threatened to fight then-President of Baseball Operations John Hart after Hart berated Snitker following a bad loss that season. Snitker’s popularity with his players went into 2018 did not change — if anything, it only grew.
What did change was the team’s on-field fortunes. The team won 90 games and surprisingly won the NL East as well. Along the way, four players got to take a trip to the All-Star Game, three players received Gold Gloves, one player somehow received a Silver Slugger, and one very notable player received Rookie of the Year honors. They all managed to add these achievements to their personal resume while playing under the eventual 2018 NL Manager of the Year — a manager for whom they likely would have ran through a wall for had he asked them to do so.
While clubhouse harmony isn’t normally a guarantee of on-field results, it certainly helps. Plus, the relationship between the front office and the locker room went from being acrimonious to harmonious. Let’s just say that Atlanta is a long way from having front office members come down and yell at the manager while a player threatens to throw hands with the team president. It’s been a journey of a calendar year for Brian Snitker and if things continue to go like this, he could be a vital part of a bright future for the Braves.
- Remember when Paul Molitor was the toast of the town last year after he won the AL Manager of the Year award in 2017? He’s already been fired as Twins manager and that, among other reasons, is all the proof Grant Brisbee needs to show you that this award is permanently broken.
- The Padres’ Double-A affiliate will be known as the Amarillo Sod Poodles. No, I’m not messing with you. This is a real thing. Minor League Baseball identities continue to be the best identities.
- While this may have been Brian Snitker’s first go-around as Manager of the Year, this is starting to become old hat for Bob Melvin. The A’s manager was named Manager of the Year for the third time of his career.
- It’s looking like Mike Elias will be the new GM of the Orioles. If he does indeed take on the role, he’ll have a lot of work to do when it comes to Baltimore’s barren farm.
- The White Sox’s farm is anything but barren, as evidenced by some prospect valuations that the crew over at South Side Sox decided to pore over.
- Seattle’s farm could receive a bit of a boost if this potential trade with the Braves goes down. It would cost the Mariners James Paxton, though.
- Speaking of the Mariners – that situation concerning Dr. Lorena Martin and the front office’s alleged treatment of her and other Latin people in the organization is an extremely bad look for not just that franchise, but baseball as a whole.
- Now that the Red Sox have enjoyed their champagne and parade, they need to figure out what to do about their catcher situation for the upcoming season.
- The Cubs’ rotation was a bit underwhelming last season. Beyond the Box Score believes that the Cubbies need to make a splash this offseason in order to improve their starting pitching squad.
- The clock is definitely ticking on the Rays and their timeframe for coming to a deal with Tampa when it comes to a new stadium.
- The current pay-for-play system in youth baseball is about to receive a stern challenge from MLB themselves after they announced plans for the Prospect Development Pipeline League.
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