The Atlanta Braves have been playing some of their best baseball lately, but it seems too late for a playoff run as they remain 10 games out of first place. However, if the Braves can rewrite a dark chapter in their history, they could possibly complete the near impossible.
“It’s still a long shot, but suddenly the most stunning comeback we’ve seen in a long time becomes feasible. The Braves have been on the opposite end of this situation before. In 2011, they were eight and a half games ahead of the Cardinals at the start of September, and the Cardinals came back. While not an example fans want to remember, the precedent of a crazy comeback is out there to use as inspiration, even if it was at a team’s own expense almost 15 years ago,” SI’s Harrison Smajovits wrote.
Regardless of the outcome, it appears the Braves will part ways with Brian Snitker at the end of the season.
“Because of that consistent recent success, Snit would normally be afforded a ‘mulligan’ year—even though going from the second-best preseason World Series odds to possibly the third-best odds of winning the draft lottery is a pretty serious mulligan,” Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller wrote. “At 69, though, he’s already the oldest manager in the National League by a several-year margin and was likely to retire at the end of this season, which is the last one in his current contract.”
A potential replacement for Snitker is former rival manager Buck Showalter.
“He’s taken four teams to the playoffs but never won a pennant. Known as a no-nonsense manager, he might need to modify his past methodology. At 68, he might welcome a last hurrah with a solid veteran team,” Forbes’ Dan Schlossberg wrote.
Showalter has never been able to tame the Braves in the NL East, even after holding a big lead before Atlanta swept them in 2022 to take over first place. Showalter is a respected manager and a players’ manager at that. The only question is how much he has left in the tank. Also, if you can’t beat them, join them.
