Who Should Lead the Atlanta Braves into 2017?
Recent comments indicate that yes – Brian Snitker will be a candidate for the full-time managerial position. But who should really get the job?
In house or full search?
Braves’ way or a new way?
Those are the kinds of philosophical questions that Atlanta’s brass will have to wade through this off-season when selecting a new manager to lead the team from something less than mediocrity toward the Promised Land of Playoffs and Parades.
Before we start into the craziness of what could be a very interesting trade deadline season, I wanted to explore some thoughts on where I believe the Braves will go as they start down this road.
The Candidates
At the end of April, I wrote up a detailed list of the likely managerial candidates, with experience/pros/cons for each one. To this point, I still like that list and I’ll refer to to that post if you’d like to see the details.
In short, the nominees are (alphabetical order):
- Manny Acta, former Indians manager
- Bud Black, former Padres skipper
- Tim Bogar, long-time minor league mgr; Mariners’ bench coach
- Mark DeRosa, former Braves and Chipper buddy; no experience
- Ron Gardenhire, former Twins manager
- Torey Lovullo, long-time minor league mgr; Red Sox bench coach
- Dave Martinez, bench coach under Joe Madden for Cubs
- Charlie Montoyo, long-time minor league mgr; Rays 3rd base coach
- Phil Nevin, manager for DBacks AAA Reno Aces
- Terry Pendleton, now bench coach
- Eddie Perez, now first base coach
- Bo Porter, third base coach
- Brian Snitker, interim manager
- Eric Wedge, another former Indians Manager
- Ron Wotus, bench coach under Bruce Bochy since 1999
In typical fashion, John Coppolella refused to rule anything out in a recent Q&A with Mark Bradley of the AJC, including the idea of hiring Snitker:
"Q: The Braves have a history of promoting from within. (You’re an example of that.) Is your preference to hire a full-time manager from within the organization, or will your first look be to find someone from outside? Is Snitker a viable candidate to manage the big-league team beyond this season? A: Brian is a viable candidate. However, as we made clear from the day we made the change, we will also look outside the organization."
That’s pretty non-committal. But I do have a thought or two about that.
Myopic Search?
If the decision was only based on points for being a ‘Braves man’, then Snit would win this beauty contest in a landslide.
I believe that while the Braves will do some ‘external’ interviews, the scope of their reach is not going to be very far from home.
While the GM (Coppolella) is technically charged with the responsibility of the next hire, there will be multiple strong “old school” voices directly involved in the process, namely: John Schuerholz, Bobby Cox, and John Hart. Coppolella will certainly get a vote, but it probably will not be the deciding ballot.
That suggests a decidedly Braves-centric search, which – in my thinking – narrows the serious candidates to these: Pendleton, Perez, Porter, Snitker, plus perhaps Black, Wotus, and Gardenhire for the ‘outside’ perspective.
While there have been a few out-of-the-box thoughts about someone like Mark DeRosa, the fact is that recent forays that teams have made with inexperienced managers have not gone that well. The most notable recent example is Matt Williams for the Nationals.
You might also cite Ryne Sandberg and his less-than-auspicious run with the Phillies, though he actually did pay his dues in the minors for 7 seasons prior to replacing Charlie Manuel at the end of the 2013 season.
Regardless, I would have a very difficult time believing that the Braves would ever head in that kind of direction. With a pile of talent pouring into the system, a seasoned leader with instant respect is much more expected… and very likely one with a strong history in Atlanta.
Next: Let's Make Some Cuts