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(Non-GT)Atlanta Braves Baseball....new beginnings

If he had graduated from Hell, that means his salary would probably be about $10 an hour. Being a dropout of the Cesspool, probably more like $14 an hour. He gets $4 more for being smart enough to know what a waste of time he was participating in and to cut it short.
 
Brian Snitker, Terry Pendleton and Bo Porter are the Braves’ primary internal candidates to fill the managerial vacancy, while Heyman lists some potential outside candidates as Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo, former Padres manager Bud Black, former Twins manager Rob Gardenhire and Royals bench coach/former Mariners skipper Don Wakamatsu.

No way Snitker shouldn't get the job. He's done a very credible job in his stint as interim manager this year. TP would be the only other logical choice, but why choose him then you have Snitker available? By all indications, next season will also be a challenge, so why not let Snit see if he's up to it. If not, replace him mid-season.
 
7:36pm: Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area tweets that the trade is now official and adds that the Giants will send minor league infielder Rich Rodriguez to the Braves in return. While it’s certainly surprising to see a player headed back to the Braves, Rodriguez spent the 2016 season, his age-22 campaign, at Class-A Advanced and batted .174/.209/.183 in 117 plate appearances.
 
Braves are now 14-9 (.609) in September, proving that Fredi is no longer here.

They were 13-15 (.464) in August after the trade for Kemp, so they are a combined 27-24 over that time (.529).

Further, they were 10-16 (.385) in July, 6-10 (.375) after the AS break.

I'm good with this.
 
Less than 30 games back of the Nationals. much better than most thought back in May.

And only 1 game behind Arizona in the NL.
 
Freddie Freeman's hitting streak extends to 30 tonight...best in majors this year.

Would make for some excellent drama to kick off the new stadium next year if he starts the season off with a streak in process.
 
Yes, that would be nice! Last night was an explosion on offense. It is amazing how many runs they have scored in September. Not something we've seen the past few years.
 
I also like the chemistry that the team seems to be developing. They now appear to believe they can win any night out. They seems to like playing together now. It is also a good blend of old guys and young faces. Somehow this front office has warbled into an fairly good place, as good as it can be being 28 GB at the end of September.
 
This team isn't mailing in these inconsequential remaining games. Five more and they get to 70 wins!

Edited to say: Marlins game probably not going to be made up. Still can get to 69.
 
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Re-read the things you guys are saying (which I agree with of course) and it kinda begs the question why would the Braves' brass think of giving the managerial job to anybody other than Snitker.
 
Re-read the things you guys are saying (which I agree with of course) and it kinda begs the question why would the Braves' brass think of giving the managerial job to anybody other than Snitker.

I have no idea. They seem to really like playing for him and quite a few played for him - successfully, I might add - at Gwinnett. I think it's a no-brainer, which of course means that it won't happen.
 
Right now the front office is worried about the new stadium and the excitement for next season. They have a good thing going with the team right now. But they can really screw it up with some bad off season moves. I think they thought they would need a big name coach to bring in the fans. But hopefully they'll be serious with Snitker.
 
If you can't get a Joe Maddon(and the Cubs have 101 wins, so good luck on that), stay with Snitker. What more could he have done? Playing .500 ball in the last 70 games.
 
Braves are 39-39 in their last 78 games - almost half a season - heading into the last 3-game series of the year against the Tigers. If they can win the series, they can finish with a 41-40 record in the 2nd half of the season. In that time, they would have played 18-10 ball from September 1 on. This against a tough stretch of teams including 6 games each against the Nats and Mets, and 3 games against the Tigers. That's 15 of the last 28 games against teams occupying 1st or 2nd place in their division. Not bad.
 
Makes you wonder what could have been had the Bravos not started out so terrible (with FG as manager). But, it is what it is. Can't erase it. Agree that it is comforting to see some progress during what was otherwise a pretty miserable - as expected - season.

Hopefully, the guys who will be returning can take some momentum into winter break and the brass can make some strategic moves via free agency to shore up some starting pitching (and relief for that matter). The Braves should have 1) plenty of money to throw around, 2) some guys to consider moving up as the farm system has been improved/replenished quite a bit over the last 2 seasons, and 3) a boost of momentum driven by the new stadium.

2017 sets up for exciting times in Atlanta for professional sports. Braves & Falcons open new stadiums. Atlanta United FC starts up for real. Jarrett Jack and Will Bynum suit up for the Hawks. Just to name a few. Tennessee vs Tech Labor Day weekend along with Bama vs FSU. Let's hope the Braves get off to a much better start in April.
 
They have improved greatly in the last few months, but they need to be about 15-20% better if they want to compete at the top of the NL.
 
They have improved greatly in the last few months, but they need to be about 15-20% better if they want to compete at the top of the NL.

As bad as hitting was pre-Kemp, the pitching has been bad all season. I guess, more inconsistent than plain bad, though there's been a lot of that, for sure. The 15-20% difference you cite is there with the new level of hitting and with a solid improvement in pitching.

As far as position players, I'll take an OF of Kemp, Inciarte/Smith, and Markakis all day long. That group can produce runs. The IF is about as solid, with Recker, Freeman, Peterson, Garcia, and Swanson. A good fielding and overall pretty good hitting bunch. This is not the Big Red Machine, but it's good enough for post-season, if the pitching gets squared away.
 
And the Braves take 2 of 3 from the Tigers, knocking them out of the playoffs and finishing 41-40 over the last half of the season. Amazing.
 
Jim Johnson resigned through 2018. Excellent numbers w/Braves.
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The Braves will interview Ron Washington and Bud Black for their managerial vacancy, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (all Twitter links). At last check, the Braves had already interviewed four internal candidates: interim manager Brian Snitker, bench coach Terry Pendleton, first base coach Eddie Perez and third base coach Bo Porter.

Snitker could be the favorite after winning praise for his work with the team down the stretch (although Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets that Black is the “leading candidate“). Braves president of baseball operations John Hart says that hiring Pendleton, Perez or Porter would be difficult given what the team has done with Snitker at the helm. Snitker, meanwhile, says he understands the team’s need to evaluate other candidates.

Washington and Black are, of course, qualified candidates in their own right. Washington served parts of eight seasons as the Rangers’ manager and led them to two World Series before resigning in 2014. He currently serves as the Athletics’ third base coach. Black managed the Padres from 2007 through 2015, has an NL Manager Of The Year award to his credit, and has won praise for his work with pitchers. He was a candidate for the Nationals’ managerial opening last winter, and he currently works in the Angels’ front office.
 
Reading the tea leaves from multiple internet reports and rumors...

...I believe the Braves are interviewing a lot of candidates to essentially satisfy those who may wonder about interviewing a diverse set of candidates, a larger pool, etc., (though MLB does not have a specific Rooney Rule like the NFL does)...all while knowing fully they intend to give the job permanently to Snitker.

I fully expect within a week - perhaps by the end of this week - that Snitker will be named Manager and given a 3-4 year contract. And, that is what should happen. He's earned it. There's momentum that he is very much responsible for heading into the offseason and from everything I've read for the last couple of months and currently, the players love him.
 
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I had heard that the Braves had finished the internal candidate interviews early yesterday and were hoping to finish the external interviews today or tomorrow.
 
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I had heard that they Braves had finished the internal candidate interviews early yesterday and were hoping to finish the external interviews today or tomorrow.

Good! Only 128 days till pitchers and catchers report.
 
WEDNESDAY: Washington will sit down with the Atlanta brass today, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com tweets.

Snitker was 59-65, 12-2 in final games.
 
Roger McDowell out as Braves pitching coach.....
Jim Johnson loved him, but.....
MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports that the Braves will not exercise their option on pitching coach Roger McDowell’s contract. McDowell has spent the past 11 seasons as Atlanta’s pitching coach and drew praise from veteran arms and young pitchers alike, but the Braves determined that they’d prefer a new voice to help usher in their next wave of pitching prospects. Specifically, the team appeared to have some concerns stemming from inconsistencies in Mike Foltynewicz and struggles from Matt Wisler and Aaron Blair. With a slew of young pitching on the way, the Braves understandably want to have full confidence that their pitching coach can get through to younger talent. Bowman adds that Wallace was a mentor for McDowell, pointing out a possible link between McDowell and the Orioles’ newly created vacancy.
 
The Orioles announced this afternoon that they’ve claimed left-hander Jed Bradley off waivers from the Braves and designated infielder Paul Janish for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

Former GT lefty.
 
The Braves are deciding among Brian Snitker, Ron Washington and Bud Black for their managerial position, according to FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman, who adds that they’re likely to make a hire during the upcoming week.
 
3:13pm: Snitker is indeed the favorite for the position, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, citing a league source.

OCT. 10, 10:00am: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets that the Braves are nearing the completion of their managerial search and believes that Snitker will ultimately land the job. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution also expects news sooner rather than later and believes that Snitker will ultimately be selected for the job (Twitter link).
 
The Score app just alerted that the Braves are expected to announce Snitker as Manager tomorrow. Good for him. He deserves it. Applaud this move.
 
The Score app just alerted that the Braves are expected to announce Snitker as Manager tomorrow. Good for him. He deserves it. Applaud this move.

Yes. This is a good move, if true. Snitker did a good job of reigniting a team that had seemed to quit on the season. The front office just sucked all the like out of the team, and Snit put it back in, along with the (lucky, in respect to the last 5 years or so) trade for Kemp. We finally got our money out of a big contract.
 
4:58pm: Atlanta appears to be close to naming Snitker the full-time skipper, per Bowman. An announcement is expected in the coming days, at a time that won’t coincide with the ongoing postseason action.
 
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