The Atlanta Braves went through the entire season knowing that former manager Brian Snitker was on an expiring contract.
The Braves didn’t extend him during the season, but the writing seemed to already be on the wall. Many speculated that it would be Snitker’s final season as Atlanta’s manager.
“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 couple of days after the season concluded, Snitker announced that he would no longer be the Braves’ manager.
“Brian Snitker will not return as manager of the Atlanta Braves, sources tell ESPN. He informed the team of his decision yesterday. But he will remain with the organization in a senior advisory capacity,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan posted.
His longtime assistant Walt Weiss has been a leading candidate to replace him, but several factors suggest hiring Weiss might not be the best decision.
“The Rockies didn’t have much success with Weiss as the manager. It’s a con that needs to be addressed, but that’s not the biggest reason, arguably, that he wouldn’t get a shot. He’s 61 years old. While he’s around the same age as Snitker was when he was given the job, the situation was a little different. Snitker earned the spot in the interim and stuck around. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t have years ahead of him to manage. Age can, arguably, play more of a role this time,” SI’s Harrison Smajovits wrote.
Weiss is a good players’ coach, but his success compared to other potential candidates just isn’t there. Also, Weiss would likely have a shorter stint due to his age.
The Braves are expected to take their time in making a decision, but for these reasons, it might be best not to give the position to Weiss.
