Braves name Brian Snitker as manager

The Braves will remove the interim tag from Brian Snitker, who guided the team to a vast improvement under his watch in 2016.

The Atlanta Braves made the move to fill their managerial spot by simply removing the interim tag from the man that guided them through the majority of last summer. Brian Snitker will continue to manage the Braves in a full-time capacity in 2016 after the club made it official early on Tuesday morning.

The move was not a complete surprise, although the team waited to make the announcement official until after games were played on Monday and prior to today’s Division Series slate.

While the club had held interviews for the role early last week, the decision to stay put with Snitker is not surprising. He impressively rallied of the troops once taking over the job in May of this year. The Braves had lost 28 of their first 37 games under previous manager Fredi Gonzalez, and were far and away baseball’s worst team. Snitker made the most of the rebuild season in Atlanta, pulling the team to 59-65 record underneath his guidance, including winning 12 of their final 14 games.

Snitker can be credited with the improved morale in the Braves clubhouse underneath his leadership, which also played a big role in him maintaining the job. Some players went as far as to voice direct support to the front office for their then-interim skipper, which obviously played a big role in keeping him aboard as well.

Others candidates for the role included former Texas Rangers manager Ron Washingon, former San Diego Padres manger Bud Black, as well as current Braves coaches Terry Pendleton, Eddie Perez and Bo Porter. Snitker is the first new managerial hire of the offseason. The Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks currently have managerial vacancies still to be addressed.

2016 will be the first full season for longtime minor league manager Snitker, who managed over 2,500 games in the minors prior to last season. His last post in the minors was guiding the Braves Triple-A affiliate, the Gwinnett Braves, a role he had been in since 2013. His experience in this capacity could be even more valuable in him guiding the burgeoning young talents on the Braves roster, such as Mallex Smith, Ozzie Albies, Matt Wisler and franchise player in the making, Dansby Swanson.

The Braves finished 2016 with a 68-93 record, last place in the NL East. It was their first last place finish since 1990. They will select fifth in next June’s amateur Draft.