There is a lot going with the Atlanta Braves these days. The team was considering whether to keep their manager Brian Snitker for the next season when GM John Coppolella resigned following the breach of MLB’s rules on the international player market. The Braves obviously didn’t want to shake up their front office more than necessary, and they exercised contract option on manager Brian Snitker, bringing him back for the 2018 season.
“Brian is a life-long Brave who has earned the respect and admiration of our players, staff and front office,” said John Hart, president of baseball operations for Atlanta Braves, in his statement. “He has devoted his last 42 years to this organization and has proven that he is dedicated to guiding the team through this transition period. We are excited to have him back in the dugout to lead our club next season.“
Brian Snitker was named the Braves’ interim manager on May 16, 2016, and got the full-time job once the 2016 season ended. He was a part of the organization since 1981 when he was hired as a roving instructor. After serving as the Braves’ third-base coach from 2007 to 2013, he was named the manager of the Gwinnett Braves, the Braves Triple-A club. After the team fired Fredi González in 2013, Snitker stepped in and took the position of the manager and he looks to do this for a long time.
“I’d like to do it as long as I have a passion for it, a burning to get better,” Snitker told reporters on Thursday. “I still get an adrenaline rush when I drive to the major league ballpark. When I go through the tunnel in a major league ballpark on the road, that still jacks me up to go into that venue and be around the guys. When that becomes something I don’t feel anymore, then I’ll know it is time. Until then I want to keep doing it.“
