Story back dated from November 2018.
Seems like during this college and NFL season I should be writing about football, but I am not. Mostly just quick updates on my home page. I am writing more stories on the Atlanta Braves and what is going on in that baseball organization. Guess you can say they have turned some eyes this past season. When the season ended in the playoffs winning only one game out of four, most baseball experts looked past that playoff series lost to the LA Dodgers, and focused mostly on the accolades of the 2018 season. First, was winning the NL East while putting up a 90-72 record. First time the Braves won their division since 2013. Second, 1B Freddie Freeman, CF Ender Inciarte, and RF Nick Markakis all win Gold Gloves, not to mention Markakis also added a silver slugger award with 185 base hits for an average of .297 with 14 HR and 93 RBIs. And then there is LF Ronald Acuna, Jr who picked up his award for NL Rookie of the Year. All these accolades are great, but the man that had a big part in every single one of these accolades was just named the NL Manager of the Year. This could not have happened to a better person. Being in the Braves organization for 20+ years and learning under Hall of Famer and former Braves manager Bobby Cox, the Braves picked the right manager to replace manager Fredi Gonzales when Gonzales was fired back in 2016. When you look at Snitker, you see Bobby Cox and Cox’s way of managing. And if that is any indication of the future, then the other teams in the NL East needs to be on high alert, because the Braves might be dominant for a while. The one thing that sticks out to me about Snitker’s managerial style is switching Acuna, Jr. after the All-Star break from the sixth spot in the lineup to leading off. He had 21 homers in the 2nd half and had three straight leadoff homers, five straight games with a home run, and seven of eight games with a homer during this streak.
I couldn’t be happier for Snitker who just signed a two-year extension with a third-year option to stay on with the club as manager. With that being said Snitker kept all his coaches on for another 2 years as well but parted ways with Chuck Hernandez the pitching coach. The process of finding a new pitching coach is underway. As I close this post, I see a long stint for Snitker with the Braves ball club, hopefully one just like Cox had when he was manager. But as with any sport in this day and time, it is all about what have you done for me lately? Hope it does not come to this, but next year Snitker could be on the hot seat. But with the saying what have you done for me lately, Snitker is on fire right now.
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