During the Atlanta Braves' emergence as one of the best and best run organizations in all of baseball the last few years, a lot of people have gotten credit. Obviously the players rightly get most of the love as the Braves' roster is loaded with All-Stars on both sides of the ball and they are ultimately the reason why the Braves have won six straight division titles. Alex Anthopoulos also gets a ton of credit for his deft handling of the team's roster and personnel decisions hence his contract extension. However, one guy that probably doesn't get enough credit is manager Brian Snitker.
Snitker took over managerial duties after the Braves fired Fredi Gonzalez back in 2016. Snitker had a reputation as a Braves lifer who was well-respected, but generally considered very old school and many wondered how he would mesh with Anthopoulos, generally a data a forward-thinking executive, when Atlanta hired him before the 2018 season.
However, Snitker made huge strides with his game management over the years as he learned more and more how to utilize the data the front office was generating for him and both he and Anthopoulos worked hard to forge a strong partnership to stay on the same page. It sure didn't hurt that Snitker's clubhouse management skills are among the best in the business. It is no surprise, then, that he has helped forge the Braves into a team that has the philosophy, as he put after their series win over the Guardians, "They never quit. They never stop working. They never stop believing."
"They never quit. They never stop working. They never stop believing."
— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) April 28, 2024
Braves manager Brian Snitker reacts to the Journey that led to another series win. pic.twitter.com/HNMwa5MfKi
Brian Snitker has helped turn the Braves into a relentless juggernaut
Talent will almost always rule the day, but there is something to be said about going into each pitch and each at-bat with purpose like the Braves do. Given how good all of these guys are, the Braves quite capable of exploding at any given moment. It is how a team actually rises to those big moments that matters and Atlanta has been among the most consistent at doing so in all of MLB going back to 2018.
Funnily enough, this isn't even the most hype Snitker quote from the Braves' recent run of division titles. Back in 2019, Snitker famously said that the team was knocking at the door the previous year and that they were going to kick the door in that postseason. Snitker's version of the quote from a post-victory speech in the Braves' locker room got leaked and featured some more...colorful language, but also got Braves fans beyond jacked up for the postseason. A couple years later, the Braves did indeed kick that @#$ing door in to win their first World Series title since 1995.
Again, it is on the players to execute each game and the front office has made sure to put (mostly) the right pieces in place who can win ballgames when they do execute. However, don't sleep on Snitker's influence on this Braves team because ever since he took over, his players have been willing to run through a wall for him to the bitter end and it shows. Don't be surprised if that carries over to this coming postseason and for postseasons to come.