TODAY: Atlanta has announced that it is bringing back Snitker for 2018. Decisions on the coaching staff have yet to be made, the team noted.
YESTERDAY: The Braves are picking up manager Brian Snitker’s option for the 2018 season, Bill Shanks of the Macon Telegraph first reported (via Twitter). David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that decisions about the coaching staff are still being made, adding there won’t be a formal announcement of Snitker’s return until later this week.
The Atlanta organization didn’t finish the season well, limping to a 72-90 win-loss record after playing at a .500 clip through the first ninety games. That was the opposite scenario from the year prior, when the team improved after Snitker took the helm in the middle of the season.
It’s tough to blame Snitker too much for the struggles, though. While the front office evidently hoped for better, the team was relying on a mix of inexperienced players and aging veterans that never looked to make up a particularly reliable roster.
As the regular season wound down, there was plenty of speculation that the Braves would move on from Snitker and go out looking for another skipper to help the club move into contention. Then came the shocking departure of GM John Coppolella, which suddenly introduced uncertainty into an organization that had hoped for a return to its former stability.
Per O’Brien, the players generally support Snitker. With the fallout from the Coppolella situation still percolating — the league is still working through its investigation and the team will need to hire a new GM — president of baseball operations John Hart and president John Schuerholz may have decided the time was not right to pursue a change in the dugout.