Braves extent Snitker

[chop2chip]

Snit is an idiot but players clearly enjoy playing in the environment he’s cultivated as evidenced by all the extensions (oh and he’s won every single year too).

I wish he’d rest players more and his bullpen usage is suspect. But very few managers actually do a good job at that imo. So I’ll take the devil I know…

I suspect in the next few years he will retire and AA will have the chance to name a more analytically minded successor.

[Nerfherders]

It's every baseball fan's rite (and right) to gripe about the manager, regardless of results. It's baffling. You don't see it with any other sport.

Snit is good and fine and wins baseball games. That's all that matters to me.

[Super]

managing people is hard. Most do it very badly.

Snit has been a very successful manager. People love him. He has done a good job with everything, IMO, except strategic decisions. I do not think Strategic Decisions are all his job.

We have a lot of other coaches. Can they not get one person to be the strategy guy? Can AA not lean on him more when it comes to pre-game decisions?

i think managers don’t like being told they won’t be making all of the in-game and tactical decisions. they also don’t like being told who to start from my understanding.

[NYCBrave]

I would actually like to see someone attempt to rank the managers in MLB from best to worst. There are probably a lot more bad ones than we think. I suspect only a handful would be considered good.

[Hulavol]

Some great points in this thread about how rare it is to see MLB fans overwhelmingly love their manager…. Compare to SEC football- Bama fans love Saban, Georgia loves Kirby, Vols love Heupel, LSU loves Kelly, State - Mike the Pirate RIP. Ole Miss loves Kiffy. SC loves Beamer. Kentucky fans love Stoops. Sure - there is the aTm Jimbo disaster, but overall it is amazing the contrast. Just a random thought..

[Nerfherders]

Yep, that's my point. How many people here still bash Bobby Cox, while Andy Reid has almost the exact same success (maybe a little bit more), and is universally loved by everyone.

[CyYoung31]

I would actually like to see someone attempt to rank the managers in MLB from best to worst. There are probably a lot more bad ones than we think. I suspect only a handful would be considered good.

Enscheff posted a Fangraphs article that graded postseason managers by their decision making in last years playoffs. It was interesting.

[Deester11]

It's every baseball fan's rite (and right) to gripe about the manager, regardless of results. It's baffling. You don't see it with any other sport.

Snit is good and fine and wins baseball games. That's all that matters to me.

There is absolutely NO sport where is there isn't a gripe about the manager or coach or whatever you call them. Win or lose. It comes with the territory. I don't like Snit's strategies but I can recognize his influence on the club and guys wanting to play hard for him.

He'd be in my managers hall of fame of he'd have pulled a jack move on Mattingly!

[DirkPiggler]

I would be all in on Snitker if he would do two things, which AA would likely have to mandate.

1) hire a bench coach with an understanding of and commitment to analytics, rather than a fellow dinosaur, and

2) actually use that coach's input for in-game decision making, lineup construction, etc. I specify "in-game" because I'm sure the front office has someone to do the data crunching for them, but those people won't be involved in the decision of who/when to pinch hit, which reliever to use in the 5th inning, etc.

It should be similar to college football, where many of the most successful head coaches aren't necessarily strategic masterminds but have the sense enough to hire coordinators who do excel at the Xs and Os facet of the game. The head coach manages the roster, gives the general framework of what he wants on each side of the ball, and makes the final tactical calls, but he allows the coordinators to handle the details of their respective areas of expertise. Obviously they don't all do this, but the most successful programs over the long haul usually handle it this way.

With the World Series win and regular season success Snitker likely now has enough credibility built up that he can tell AA to piss off if changes to status quo are suggested. That is the scary part for the future.

[The Chosen One]

Yep, that's my point. How many people here still bash Bobby Cox, while Andy Reid has almost the exact same success (maybe a little bit more), and is universally loved by everyone.

Andy Reid is one of the few long tenured coaches that still reinvents himself to adapt to the modern game.

And you can't deny his consistency. His teams have a chance every year.

[CyYoung31]

Andy Reid is one of the few long tenured coaches that still reinvents himself to adapt to the modern game.

And you can't deny his consistency. His teams have a chance every year.

Maybe the best offensive coach in NFL history.

[Enscheff]

I would be all in on Snitker if he would do two things, which AA would likely have to mandate.

1) hire a bench coach with an understanding of and commitment to analytics, rather than a fellow dinosaur, and

2) actually use that coach's input for in-game decision making, lineup construction, etc. I specify "in-game" because I'm sure the front office has someone to do the data crunching for them, but those people won't be involved in the decision of who/when to pinch hit, which reliever to use in the 5th inning, etc.

It should be similar to college football, where many of the most successful head coaches aren't necessarily strategic masterminds but have the sense enough to hire coordinators who do excel at the Xs and Os facet of the game. The head coach manages the roster, gives the general framework of what he wants on each side of the ball, and makes the final tactical calls, but he allows the coordinators to handle the details of their respective areas of expertise. Obviously they don't all do this, but the most successful programs over the long haul usually handle it this way.

With the World Series win and regular season success Snitker likely now has enough credibility built up that he can tell AA to piss off if changes to status quo are suggested. That is the scary part for the future.

An app that calculates expected runs for the 5 most likely moves at any given point in the game state should be completely doable by an analytics team. Then Snit could check the app, see what the nerds say about his 5 most likely options, and let that help inform his decision. If he thinks 2 moves are reasonable, and the app tells him 1 is clearly better....done. On the flip side, if the app says IDIOT on a move he about to make, it could give him pause to work through a different strategy.

We see it all the time where he fails to double switch or flub a defensive sub or let a pitcher hit so he can face 1 more batter. Those are clearly incorrect moves that any app of that sort would flash IDIOT at him.

[Russ2dollas]

i think managers don’t like being told they won’t be making all of the in-game and tactical decisions. they also don’t like being told who to start from my understanding.

I'm sure they don't.

Lots of things happen in all of our jobs we do not like.

Plus from a supply and demand point of view there are a lot more people willing and qualified to be MLB managers than there are MLB manager jobs.

I think Snit should get credit for how he runs the program. The players love him and they play well. The organization has a great reputation. With a super long season I think it's a hard part of the job. The part Snit sucks at should really be the easiest part IMO, see Encscheff's point on an app. I think the organization and Snit should really try to work on improving.

I will say that I am someone who does not think the manager provides a lot of on field value. I think the coaching staff and manager provide most of the value before the games. During the games I think they are much more likely to mess something up than actually help in baseball.

[bravesfanMatt]

Do players like playing for Twit because he is so awesome or is it because he basically plays the starters everyday and lets them do whatever the hell they want. I mean, who wouldn't want that.

[Runnin]

Team morale is huge and affects every game.

How to create great team morale is a not so clear. Any manager who seems to do a good job at it should be highly valued.

[weso1]

The Braves have overperformed in every season he has been manager.

[VirginiaBrave]

All these coaches have something in common. The talent between the lines. Don't forget that. If you give Snit the '85-'90 Braves you'll get similar results. Give him the '91-'05 Braves you'll get similar results. The talent wins the games, not the coaches. Andy Reid, Nick Saban, Bobby Cox, and Snit would all tell you that.

[Super]

Do players like playing for Twit because he is so awesome or is it because he basically plays the starters everyday and lets them do whatever the hell they want. I mean, who wouldn't want that.

it’s probably far more nuanced than what you described

[cajunrevenge]

If there is one thing that for certain it's that MLB fans think their manager is terrible. Just accept that the team won't be managed in game how you specifically want and move on. If a manager is liked by the players and creates an atmosphere where our players want to be here that's 95% of the job.