It's the end of an era in Atlanta, as Brian Snitker stepped down from the managerial role after nine years in charge, numerous postseason appearances and a World Series in 2021. Snitker will be tough to replace, but it's best if the Braves don't overthink this. Outside candidates will be considered, and if David Ross is one of them they ought to steer clear. Ross, who never won more than 83 games with the Cubs and was unceremoniously dumped in favor of Craig Counsell in the 2023 offseason, still has an ax to grind with his former team. He also has ties to Atlanta, which could earn him an interview.
Ross played for the Braves in 2009 and 2010, have some of his most productive seasons with the organization. He's also a Georgia native.
"Obviously, Atlanta would be amazing, but there's nothing to really elaborate on," Ross said about the Braves opening. "I don't want to talk about something that doesn't have any legs yet. Hopefully, my name pops up, but we will wait and see on that."
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Why the Braves should politely decline David Ross' request
Last Wednesday, Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos didn't name any possible replacements, but the team already has two former managers on Snitker's staff in Fredi Gonzalez and Walt Weiss who will get a look. Ron Washington, a former Braves assistant who was let go by the Angels, has also been floated, along with the likes of former Atlanta infielder Mark DeRosa and Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty.
Just last week, Ross gave a tell-all interview to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, where he detailed why he hasn't quite gotten over his Cubs exit and what he would've done differently in Chicago. A couple of those comments should be alarming to Braves fans, especially if Ross garners significant interest in Atlanta. The first is Ross discussing how he had a player's mentality with the Cubs.
”I don’t want to yell and scream at umpires all the time. I probably did that way more than I ever expected. I loved umpires when I was catching," Ross said. “You’re trying to fight for players. You’ve got to take some of that emotion out of managing and continue to talk through it with the guys. Fight for your players, but there were some emotions sometimes that got the best of me from a managing standpoint, if I’m being honest.”
In that sense, Ross compares quite favorably to Snitker, who was always considered a players' manager. If there was one consistent criticism of Snit (other than bullpen management, which every manager must fight through), it's that he didn't stick up for his players enough, specifically Ronald Acuña Jr. His inconsistency in that department got the Braves in trouble, and was why assistants like Washington were so valuable.
David Ross can't take a job until he gets over his Cubs exit
What was most evident in Ross' interview was that he still has some animosity towards Counsell for taking his job. While he claims to be on good terms with the Cubs, Ross called Counsell out for taking the money and accepting the position while he was still at the helm.
I battle it all the time, go back and forth on that,” Ross said. “You feel like you’re a part of this special fraternity of managers. But he also got offered $8 million (a year) for five years, you know? The way it went down sucked. I’ve had so many people say the same thing . . . about how I got screwed. I don’t look at it like that. But a lot of people like it a lot less than me. I don’t know where I stand on that.”
As much as I sympathize with Ross, he was forced out of Chicago two years ago now. If he hopes to take another position – and in the same vain as Counsell leave several other former managers jobless – he'll have to learn from his past mistakes and prove he's ready to move on to the next challenge. His own words suggest he needs more time.