Braves Could Eye Former Manager of the Year to Replace Brian Snitker

Unfortunately, the Atlanta Braves haven’t played the type of baseball they were expected to when entering the season. 

Currently in a position to likely sell, there are also a few other things the Braves have to consider. For a legend like Brian Snitker, who recently won a World Series with the Braves during the 2021 season and has been the manager since the 2016 campaign, there’s a growing sense around Major League Baseball that this could be his final season. 

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, former Manager of the Year Skip Schumaker could replace him. 

“Former Marlins manager Skip Schumaker and bench coach Walt Weiss are expected to be strong candidates to replace Brian Snitker as Atlanta’s manager when he retires after the season.

“Schumaker could also wind up in Texas if Bruce Bochy retires,” he wrote.

According to MLB.com, the possibility of Snitker retiring has only grown over the past few weeks, as the Braves have played below-average baseball and now find themselves in fourth place in the National League East, a position the team didn’t expect to be in entering the season. 

“The assumption Snitker will retire at the end of this season has only grown stronger over the past few months. Walt Weiss might be the top internal candidate. If the team goes with an external option, David Ross and Skip Schumaker should be at the top of the wish list,” they wrote.

Snitker Undecided on Retirement for Now

Snitker has discussed some of the decisions he’ll have to make for his career over the past few months. While the Atlanta Braves might want to move on from him anyway, considering he hasn’t done as well as many were hoping for, the team moving on from him would be unlikely. At the very least, it’d likely be a mutual thing. 

When speaking to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, he admitted that he hasn’t made any decision yet, but will let him know when he decides.

“I’ll let you know. I’ll let the year get underway and see what happens,” Snitker told The Post. “Honestly, I haven’t made a decision yet.”

When speaking with Nightengale, he admitted that he still feels “really good,” and he’d like to get to 50 years with the Braves, but he’s just leaning towards getting through each day.

“I still feel really good, and the 50-number [50 years with the Braves] is something I think it’d be kind of cool. But right now, I’m leaning towards getting through today,” Snitker told Nightengale.

Schumaker’s Fit as Braves Manager

Schumaker would be an intriguing candidate for the Atlanta Braves to replace Snitker with. He spent 11 years in the bigs, appearing in games for the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Cincinnati Reds. 

He has plenty of experience to control a big league locker room, and that’s the most important part. 

Unfortunately, he wasn’t exactly the greatest coach with the Miami Marlins, but it’s tough to blame him. 

According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, there’s buzz about Snitker retiring, showing just how real this might be.

“There is a lot of buzz in the industry that Braves manager Brian Snitker and Rangers manager Bruce Bochy could retire at season’s end, which would be a big loss for the sport,” Bowden wrote. “Both are classy people with impressive track records who have been great for the game.”

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