3 former Atlanta Braves players that could be managers in 2024
The Angels, Mets, Guardians, Padres and Astros are among the teams that are looking for a new manager. There are three former Braves players that are on the market that could land those jobs. Take a look at who they are!
Stephen Vogt
It was reported earlier this offseason that former Atlanta Braves backstop Stephen Vogt emerged as a top candidate for the Cleveland Guardians manager position. While Vogt did spend the majority of his playing career with the Oakland A's, he was still a part of the most successful Braves season since 1995. Vogt has a World Series ring from Atlanta's 2021 journey.
Vogt seems like a great fit for a manager position. After 10 seasons in the big leagues, most of those as a catcher, he knows what it is like to make in-game decisions in real time. He has a humble "get buisness done" attitude and would mesh well with modern day players after being a part of the new era of baseball since he just retired in 2022.
Ryan Flaherty
Ryan Flaherty played for the Atlanta Braves back in the 2018 season. He appeared in exactly half of the team's games that season (81) as a utility player.
Flaherty only played 8 years in the league but was a part of some good ball clubs between the Balitmore Orioles, Guardians and Braves. While he may not have been an every day player for most of his career, Flaherty was able to soak in quality baseball and learn from different situations.
He played for Buck Showalter, Brian Snitker and Terry Francona. These are three of the most successful managers in recent years. If Flaherty was able to learn a thing or two during his playing days from these guys, he very well could make a quality manager himself.
Mark DeRosa
Mark DeRosa is probably more known for his appearances on MLB Network than he is for playing or managing baseball. However, he does in fact have managerial experience.
In the most recent World Baseball Classsic, DeRosa was trusted with the lineup card for team USA. Team USA made it to the finals and fell just short following an iconic moment where Shohei Ohtani struck out Angels teammate and superstar Mike Trout to give Japan the victory.
Of course we all know USA had a stacked roster in the 2023 World Baseball Classic but sometimes that can make a managers job even harder. DeRosa did a great job.
With his analyst job at MLB Network, he has no option but to be up to date on all of the analytics and how they are used. This sometimes may contradict his old school mind set but DeRosa seems like a person who could give a steady dose of player experience and modern day philosophy that could lead a team to success.
Bonus: Mark DeRosa did play for Cleveland (one of the teams looking for a manager) in 2009.