| Brian Snitker | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Snitker with theAtlanta Braves in 2024 | |
| Manager /Coach | |
| Born: (1955-10-17)October 17, 1955 (age 70) Decatur, Illinois, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Managerial record | 811–668 |
| Winning % | .548 |
Managerial record atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Brian Gerald Snitker (born October 17, 1955) is an American professional baseballcoach,manager, and former player. He was themanager for theAtlanta Braves ofMajor League Baseball (MLB) for 10 seasons from2016 to2025. Snitker has spent 49 years in the Braves organization, starting as acatcher andfirst baseman in the Braves'minor league system from 1977 to 1980.
As manager, Snitker led the Braves to the2021 World Series, which they won 4 games to 2 over theHouston Astros; it was the franchise's fourthWorld Series title, their first World Series appearance since1999 and first championship since1995.
Snitker was born inDecatur, Illinois, to Richard F. Snitker and Catherine (Collins) Snitker.[1] He grew up inMacon, Illinois, where he attendedMacon High School,[2] and played as aright fielder for the 1971 baseball team.[3] The team's surprising run to the state championship tournament was documented inChris Ballard's 2012 bookOne Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season.[4][5]
As a youth, Snitker also playedAmerican Legion Baseball, an experience that he said in a 2018 interview, "Gave me the platform to be seen because there are always scouts at American Legion games. It had a big part on my development as a player and helping me get a jump on a professional career."[6]
Snitker played two seasons of junior college ball forLincoln College in 1975. He served as catcher for the Lynx baseball team where he was second team All-State. He finished his college career with two seasons at theUniversity of New Orleans.[7]
Following his injury-shortened junior season at the University of New Orleans, Snitker was drafted in the 25th round of the MLB draft by the Chicago Cubs. He opted to return to UNO for his senior season, and then signed a free-agent contract with the Braves organization in 1977.[8] Snitker bounced around the minors, mostly in Class A (equivalent toHigh-A today). He primarily saw time at catcher while occasionally playing first base in the minor leagues, registering aslash line of .254/.316/.390 with 23 home runs in 780 at bats.[7]
The Braves released Snitker in 1980, but immediately rehired him as a roving minor league instructor. He was hired as a minor league manager for theAnderson Braves in 1982, where he led the team to its only winning season of its five-year stint in Anderson,[9] before moving to theDurham Bulls the following season.[10] He also managed theMacon Braves,Myrtle Beach Pelicans,Greenville Braves,Mississippi Braves andRichmond Braves, all in the Bravesfarm system. He was also the Atlanta Braves' bullpen coach in 1985 and 1988–1990.[11] A few of his honors during his fifteen-year run as a minor league manager are winning two championships with theMyrtle Beach Pelicans in 1999 and 2000,[12] and in those same years he won theCarolina League Manager of the Year.[13]
From 2007 to 2013, Snitker served as the Braves' third-base coach. He was named to that position on October 3, 2006,[14][15] replacingFredi González, who left to join theFlorida Marlins as manager. When González was named Braves manager for the 2011 season afterBobby Cox's retirement, Snitker was kept on as third base coach.
On October 14, 2013, Snitker was named the manager of the Braves Triple-A club, theGwinnett Braves.[16][17]
On May 17, 2016, Snitker was named Atlanta's interim manager,[18] replacing Fredi González, who was fired. On October 11, 2016, the Braves named Snitker their full-time manager for the2017 season.[19][20] The team announced on October 5, 2017, that Snitker would return as manager for the2018 season.[21][22] On October 15, 2018, the Braves gave Snitker a two-year contract extension with a club option for 2021.[23] On November 13, 2018, Snitker was awarded theNational League Manager of the Year Award for the 2018 season.[24][25] Snitker shared that year'sSporting News National League Manager of the Year Award withCraig Counsell.[26]
In 2019, Snitker led the Braves to their second consecutive division title. Snitker and Counsell were named finalists for the National League Manager of the Year Award in 2019,[27] losing toMike Shildt. On October 23, 2019, Snitker won his secondSporting News National League Manager of the Year Award.[28] In February 2020, Snitker agreed to another contract extension with the Braves, through the 2021 season.[29] On September 22, 2020, he led them to a third straight NL East Division title as the Braves defeated the Marlins, 11–1.[30] Snitker led the Braves to a 2–0 series sweep over the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Wild Card Series, which was their first postseason series victory since 2001.[31] Although they reached the NLCS for the first time in 19 years,[32] the Braves lost to theLos Angeles Dodgers in seven games despite holding a 3–1 lead in the series.[33][34] The 2020 Braves managed to pitch four shutouts within the first five games of a postseason, joining the1905 New York Giants as the only teams in Major League Baseball history to accomplish the feat.[35]
On February 26, 2021, Snitker signed another extension to remain with the Braves through the 2023 season with a club option for 2024.[36][37] In 2021, Snitker and the Braves went 88–73 during theregular season, defeated theMilwaukee Brewers in theNational League Division Series, beat theLos Angeles Dodgers in theNational League Championship Series, and won theWorld Series against theHouston Astros.[38][39] He came in fourth in the voting for National League Manager of the Year, as the award was won bySan Francisco Giants managerGabe Kapler.[40]
On November 30, 2021, the Braves extended Snitker's contract through the 2024 season.[41] During the 2022 regular season the Braves went 101–61, for Snitker's first100-win season as a manager.
On January 27, 2023, Snitker signed a three-year extension with the Braves that runs through the 2025 season.[42][43] The Braves won 104 games in the 2023 regular season, securing Snitker his second consecutive 100-win season.[44]
In the 2024 season, the Braves were weakened by significant injuries to several of their key players, includingSpencer Strider,Ronald Acuña Jr., andAustin Riley. Still, Snitker guided the Braves to 89 wins and a playoff berth for the seventh consecutive year, before losing to the Padres in the2024 National League Wild Card Series.[45]
After a disappointing 2025 season in which the team went 76–86 and missed the postseason, Snitker announced his retirement as manager and that he will transition into a senior advisory role with the organization.[46][47]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| ATL | 2016 | 124 | 59 | 65 | .476 | 5th in NL East | – | – | – | – |
| ATL | 2017 | 162 | 72 | 90 | .444 | 3rd in NL East | – | – | – | – |
| ATL | 2018 | 162 | 90 | 72 | .556 | 1st in NL East | 1 | 3 | .250 | LostNLDS (LAD) |
| ATL | 2019 | 162 | 97 | 65 | .599 | 1st in NL East | 2 | 3 | .400 | LostNLDS (STL) |
| ATL | 2020 | 60 | 35 | 25 | .583 | 1st in NL East | 8 | 4 | .667 | LostNLCS (LAD) |
| ATL | 2021 | 161 | 88 | 73 | .547 | 1st in NL East | 11 | 5 | .688 | WonWorld Series (HOU) |
| ATL | 2022 | 162 | 101 | 61 | .623 | 1st in NL East | 1 | 3 | .250 | LostNLDS (PHI) |
| ATL | 2023 | 162 | 104 | 58 | .642 | 1st in NL East | 1 | 3 | .250 | LostNLDS (PHI) |
| ATL | 2024 | 162 | 89 | 73 | .549 | 2nd in NL East | 0 | 2 | .000 | LostNLWCS (SD) |
| ATL | 2025 | 162 | 76 | 86 | .469 | 4th in NL East | – | – | – | – |
| Total[48] | 1,479 | 811 | 668 | .548 | 24 | 23 | .511 | |||
Snitker and his wife, Veronica (Ronnie), have two children.[49][50] Snitker's father Richard died in 1993,[51] and his mother Catherine died in March 2019.[1]
In the2011 Major League Baseball draft, Snitker's sonTroy was drafted by the Braves in the 19th round and traded to thePittsburgh Pirates in March 2013.[52][53] After retiring as a player, Troy joined theHouston Astros organization as a coach.[54][55] The Atlanta Braves faced the Houston Astros in the2021 World Series, making the series a family affair for the Snitkers.[56][57][58] Snitker and Troy, for the Braves and Astros, respectively, presented the lineup cards before Game Three of the World Series.[59]
Braves-Astros, a lot to savor in this World Series — even a family faceoff. Atlanta manager Brian Snitker's son, Troy, is a Houston hitting coach. "It's like the Snitkers are going to have a World Series trophy in their house here," dad said Saturday night. "I don't know who is going to own it, but we're going to have one. So that's a pretty cool thing, too."