There are just so many potential replacement options for Brian Snitker that it is honestly difficult for Atlanta Braves fans to make much sense of the options. Yes, some names are recognizable to baseball fans in general, but there is just no way for the average fan to know much of anything about other teams' bench coaches, pitching coaches, etc. without just making stuff based on little to no information. However, one dark horse candidate that was just floated could come with nice added benefits.
The Braves need someone at manager that understands the modern game of baseball and knows how to use analytics properly, has a track record of strong communication skills, and coming from an organization that knows how to win would be a great plus assuming Atlanta isn't looking at internal candidates like Walt Weiss.
In a recent column, Braves insider Mark Bowman threw out the idea, along with many others, that Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann could be in the running to replace Snitker. While nothing is set in stone at all yet, it is hard not to smile at the idea of robbing the Dodgers and getting a new manager at the same time.
Dodgers' Danny Lehmann could be an inspired Braves choice as their new manager
Aside from the desire to rob the Dodgers of coaching talent to the Braves' benefit, there are some real reasons to think that Lehmann could be a viable candidate. He is widely respected around the league and expected to be a strong managerial candidate by pretty much everyone, he is young and very familiar with analytics and scouting, and Alex Anthopoulos worked for the Dodgers when Lehmann was getting his start there.
While hiring an outside voice would likely lead to wider coaching changes for the Braves, that may not necessarily be a bad thing. Everyone knows that this Braves roster is immensely talented and with Snitker getting to enjoy retirement, this is an opportunity to change things up and see if there are other approaches that could better get the most of that talent. LA has been as good as anyone at executing when it matters and Lehmann seems to be a big reason why.
If Lehmann and others outside the organization are real options, it could be a while before the Braves make their decision. With the playoffs ongoing, getting interviews with coaches on the teams still in can be tricky (although not impossible). Given that the Braves have yet to really make their intentions in their managerial search known yet, it feels more and more likely that an external candidate like Lehmann could be very much in play.