National League Manager of the Year: Brian Snitker
This award is still very much up in the air because the National League’s playoff picture is much more wide open than the American League’s. Joe Maddon or Craig Counsell could very well swoop in to claim this award depending on how the NL Central race plays out. If Dave Martinez is able to successfully guide the Washington Nationals from the depths and back to the playoffs, then he will likely win Manager of the Year.
If the season ended today, the pick for NL Manager of the Year goes to Atlanta Braves skipper Brian Snitker for the second year in a row. He has guided the Braves to the top of the NL East and has a comfortable lead over the Philadelphia Phillies and Nats. Despite making the playoffs last year, the Braves were still an afterthought in their own division after having a fairly quiet offseason while the Nats and Phillies were making splashy moves.
Snitker is a Braves lifer who has been with the organization since his playing days in the late 1970s. He managed at every level of the Atlanta farm system and finally got his chance in the big leagues as an interim manager after Fredi Gonzalez was fired in 2016. Snitker earned high marks for his work under the interim tag and was rewarded with the full-time job.
The Braves haven’t had to face a great deal of adversity yet this year, but Snitker deserves the award for continuing to manage a young team with big goals. He now has a winning record as their manager, and the award is his to lose.