Though there was a year-long expectation this would be Brian Snitker’s final season as the Braves’ manager, there is still some uncertainty about who will be his successor.
Bobby Cox (1990-2010) and two of his disciples, Fredi Gonzalez (2011-16) and Snitker (2016-2025) account for the only three managers the Braves have had since midway through the 1990 season. Atlanta won 21 division titles, captured six National League pennants and won two World Series trophies during this 35-year span.
Will the Cox lineage continue with this next managerial hire?
David Ross, Mark DeRosa, Walt Weiss and Eddie Perez are among Cox’s former Braves players who have interest in the vacancy. But there’s a chance Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos will choose a manager without any previous ties to the organization.
“You just can’t rush it or force it,” Anthopoulos said. “It’s a big decision. It’s a big hire. You’d love to do it sooner rather than later. But every team going through this would tell you the same thing.”
Though many fans have been devising their own wish lists over the past few months, Anthopoulos said as of Saturday morning, he hadn’t created his own list of candidates. He also said if the process works as he hopes, the candidates’ names won’t leak before a hire is made.
Anthopoulos has started to do his due process with background checks. Here are the names of some guys who could end up interviewing for the Braves job.
Ross: Before he became a clubhouse favorite at Fenway and Wrigley, the former catcher was a beloved Brave from 2009-12. He didn’t have any managerial experience before leading the Cubs to a winning record in two of his four seasons as the skipper on the North Side.
If the Braves are keeping hitting coach Tim Hyers, Ross and Hyers developed a good friendship when the former was a catcher and the latter was a Minor League coach in Boston’s organization more than a decade ago.
DeRosa: This MLB Network star has come a long way since being the quiet young guy who drew the favor of Chipper Jones, B.J. Surhoff and many other veteran Braves around the start of this century. His lone managerial experience came as Team USA’s skipper in the World Baseball Classic, but he’s a great communicator who could benefit from an experienced bench coach like…
John Gibbons: Before serving as the Mets bench coach the past two seasons, Gibbons was Anthopoulos’ manager in Toronto from 2013-15. The bond led to Gibbons being hired as a special assignment scout for the Braves in 2020.
The 63-year-old Gibbons’ familiarity with Anthopoulos makes him an iteresting candidate to be the Braves’ next manager or bench coach, especially if Anthopoulos tabs a skipper with limited managerial experience.
Walt Weiss: Speaking of bench coaches, Weiss was considered by some to be the manager-in-waiting as he spent the past eight seasons as Snitker’s bench coach. Weiss previously served as the Rockies’ manager from 2013-16.
Given there was never any attempt by the Braves to push Snitker toward managing another season, there’s reason to question if Anthopoulos will choose to go in a new direction with his managerial hire and most coaching staff positions.
Perez: The 1999 NLCS MVP was a hot managerial candidate a little more than a decade ago. Even if the Braves go a different direction with the manager and staff, there should seemingly be a coaching spot for Perez. The Braves dismissed catching coach Sal Fasano after last season. That opened the door for Perez to have a significant impact on the defensive strides top NL Rookie of the Year candidate Drake Baldwin made this year.
Ryan Flaherty: Flaherty’s star has risen since he spent much of the 2018 season serving as Nick Markakis’ carpool partner in Atlanta. The Cubs’ bench coach seems to be on the path toward a successful career as a big league manager.
George Lombard: It’s been a long time since John Schuerholz took pride in luring Lombard away from his commitment to play running back at the University of Georgia. Lombard currently serves as the Tigers’ bench coach. Like Flaherty, the Atlanta native is a highly-respected communicator who seems to have what it takes to be a successful big league skipper.
Danny Lehmann: Anthopoulos was in the Dodgers’ front office when he crossed paths with LA’s current bench coach. Lehmann was serving as the team’s advanced video scout at the time. His significant rise led him to his current role in 2023.
