As frustrating as some of his decisions and explanations have been at times during his tenure as manager of the Atlanta Braves, Brian Snitker has earned his spot among the all-time greats in franchise history. In addition to his incredibly long run with the Braves, Snitker took over a team that had been run into the ground by Fredi Gonzalez and helped turn them into a dynasty again. As it turns out, that was not the last time Braves fans would hear from Gonzalez and there is a chance he could be around for a while.
While Matt Tuiasosopo's short tenure as the Braves' third base coach was marred by some sends home that would have made Ron Washington blush, hiring Gonzalez to replace him came as a shock to most Braves fans. Gonzalez was dismissed in rather brutal fashion and most didn't exactly have fond memories of his time as manager.
Now that he has returned, however, one does wonder if Gonzalez is going to groomed to be Snitker's eventual replacement.
Braves fans need to REALLY hope that Fredi Gonzalez doesn't replace Brian Snitker
One thing that is absolutely certain is that Snitker's time as Braves manager is coming to an end relatively soon even if the exact timing is still uncertain. Snit is going to be turning 70 this October and has already openly talked about the fact that he is going to retiring at some point in the next few years.
As for Snit's eventual replacement, that has been more difficult to predict. The obvious internal candidate had been bench coach Walt Weiss as the team knows and likes him and he does have some experience managing from his days with the Rockies. Atlanta was also likely to entertain some external options or try to bring Ron Washington back home, but the addition of Gonzalez does seem to cloud the picture a bit.
Fortunately, the reality of this hire is probably more simple than that. Gonzalez is an experienced third base coach with ties to the area and who is someone that Snitker trusts. If he ends up staying as the third base coach, he is unlikely to do much damage and should provide another authoritative voice for a team that needs some sort of spark.
Now, if it does come to pass that Gonzalez becomes a viable managerial candidate once Snitker does call it quits, Braves fans will have every right to be upset. After all, we have seen him in that chair before.