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Who is the best manager in NL East?

By John Buhler

Nov 2, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins president baseball operations Michael Hill (left) help smanager Don Mattingly (center) with his jersey as he is introduced as manager as Marlins president David Samson (right) looks on at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins president baseball operations Michael Hill (left) help smanager Don Mattingly (center) with his jersey as he is introduced as manager as Marlins president David Samson (right) looks on at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez (33) makes a pitching change against the St. Louis Cardinals in the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Cardinals 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez (33) makes a pitching change against the St. Louis Cardinals in the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Cardinals 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Fredi Gonzalez, Atlanta Braves

Though the Atlanta Braves are in the midst of a brief rebuild, hopefully done in time for the grand opening of SunTrust Park in April 2017, the Braves might have the worst manager in baseball in Fredi Gonzalez. Gonzalez is one of two protegés of the Bobby Cox coaching tree, the other being World Series winning Manager of the Kansas City Royals Ned Yost. Neither are supreme strategists, as they have to rely on being a great clubhouse manager.

Unfortunately for Braves Country, in the last five seasons they’ve seen their club quit on their skipper three times (2011, 2014, 2015) in the home stretch of the season. The perpetual bullpen mismanagement makes even the most casual of baseball fans uncomfortable, knowing that Fredi is going to make the wrong decision nearly every time.

Atlanta went 67-95 last year. After 84 games this was a .500 ball club, but after two terrible months of July and August, Atlanta ended their season on a 25-53 run. The Braves went over a month without winning a game outside of either Atlanta or Philadelphia.

The reason Gonzalez returns in 2016 is that the Atlanta Braves front office gave him a one-year extension right before everything fell apart in the four-game road sweep in Denver to the Colorado Rockies entering the All-Star Break. Fredi may have a winning record in nine years as a manager (701-664), but Braves Country won’t go anywhere with him as manager.

Next: One More Shot at a World Series Title

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