Comments and articles herein are the intellectual property and opinions of the writers and may not be copied without permission of the writers.
by Carolina Lady
He’s been with the Braves since 1977. Bob Dider signed him after he graduated from the University of New Orleans as a non-drafted free agent to fill out a spot on the Kingsport roster.
Fours years later, after he had wrested the last possible drop out of his playing career, then-farm director Hank Aaron made a job offer.
He told Baseball America -
“I played real hard to be mediocre and I was fortunate when Hank offered me the coaching job. I was single and living out of my car, so I gave it a try to see what happened.”
Brian Snitker
Brian Snitker. Born 1955 in Illinois. He didn’t have an easy time of it either. Never made it to the majors, but has made the best of his talents and abilities as player, roving instructor, coach and manager in the Braves system for more than 30 years.
He coached, taught and managed for 20+ seasons in the minors, leading clubs from the rookie leagues to AA in Anderson, Sumter, Durham, Macon, Danville, Myrtle Beach, Greenville, and Mississippi before he was named manager of the Richmond Braves in 2006.
Snitker once said, “The players are the one thing that keeps you coming back. And that’s because we have good players. The Braves always get guys who are good people with strong work ethics and great makeup. They have the intangibles that make them the best players they can be. And that’s what makes it fun to go to work everyday.”
He said he never really developed a “style” of managing because a minor league manager never gets to pick his team; he just works with what he has.
And he did pretty well at managing the rookies and kids: 1,140-1,145 (.499). Five of his clubs advanced into post-season play and he won 2 championships (back-to-back titles with Myrtle Beach in 1999 and 2000) and 3 Minor League Manager of the Year awards – 1997, 1999, 2000.
He was managing the Mississippi Braves in Pearl in ‘05 (Francoeur, McCann, Boyer, McBride, Lerew, James, et al) when an unprecedented 11 “Baby Braves” were called up to Atlanta. Still, Snitker led Mississippi to a 64-68 record in its first year, quite an accomplishment considering that they had just moved to a new city, most of the team’s stars were promoted to fill needs in Atlanta, and the last 8 games of the season were canceled due to Hurricane Katrina.
Snitker said, “It’s my job to hold things together and keep the best possible team on the field every day.”
When Dayton Moore was Atlanta’s farm director, he said, “Snitker is the most highly respected manager we have in our system.”
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish |
| 1981 | Roving Instructor | |||
| 1982 | Anderson Braves | South Atlantic |
72-70 |
5 |
| 1983 | Durham Bulls | Carolina |
59-78 |
6 |
| 1984 | Durham Bulls | Carolina |
68-72 |
5 |
| 1985 | Atlanta Braves | (Bullpen coach) |
|
|
| 1986 | Sumter Braves | South Atlantic |
77-60 |
3 |
| 1987 | Durham Bulls | Carolina |
65-75 |
7 |
| 1988 | Atlanta Braves | (Bullpen coach) |
|
|
| 1989 | Atlanta Braves | (Bullpen coach) |
|
|
| 1990 | Atlanta Braves | (Bullpen coach) |
|
|
| 1991 | Minor League coach Macon |
|
|
|
| 1992 | Macon Braves | South Atlantic |
58-81 |
13 |
| 1993 | Minor League coach |
|
|
|
| 1994 | Minor League coach |
|
|
|
| 1995 | Minor League coach |
|
|
|
| 1996 | Danville Braves | Appalachian |
37-29 |
5 |
| 1997 | Macon Braves | South Atlantic |
80-60 |
1 |
| 1998 | Macon Braves | South Atlantic |
69-72 |
8 |
| 1999 | MB Pelicans | Carolina |
79-60 |
2 |
| 2000 | MB Pelicans | Carolina |
88-52 |
1 |
| 2001 | MB Pelicans | Carolina |
71-67 |
3 |
| 2002 | Greenville Braves | Southern |
65-59 |
7 |
| 2003 | Greenville Braves | Southern |
68-70 |
5 |
| 2004 | Greenville Braves | Southern |
63-76 |
9 |
| 2005 | MS Braves | Southern |
64-68 |
6 |
| 2006 | Richmond Braves | International |
57-86 |
14 |
| 2007 | Atlanta Braves | (3rd base coach) |
|
|
| 2008 | Atlanta Braves | (3rd base coach) |
|
|
Brian was quoted as saying -
“You should expect your team to win. Winning needs to be a priority at this level. Results need to be a priority. You’ve got to have results to show you can play in the big leagues. Pitchers need to win games, and hitters need to produce in key situations.”
Mel Roberts, once Brian’s hitting/first base coach who has known him since the ’80s, said Snitker’s main strength is his communication skills.
He doesn’t do anything that’s just, ‘That’s the way we do it,’ Whatever it takes to get it done, that’s the way he’s gonna do it. When you relate that to these players, they relax, and they’re able to be a little more susceptible to what you’re trying to get them to do.”
After serving as Atlanta’s bullpen coach for parts of 3 seasons, he returned to the Minors in 1991. He didn’t know if he’d ever make it back the the Majors despite having accumulated 1,140 managerial victories with 9 different teams from Rookie level through AAA.
Guy Curtwright wrote for MLB.com:
After what amounted to a 16-year baseball road trip through the Minors, the 31-year Braves lifer is a full-time resident of suburban Atlanta again and no longer a far-away father.
“It was tough. Real tough,” the 51-year-old Snitker said of the strain that being a vagabond Minor League manager puts on family life. “You want to be there, but you can’t. Talking on the phone isn’t the same.”
When Snitker told his wife Ronnie last fall that he’d be home (in Lilburn, GA) the next year, she said, “What?? Were you fired?
Nope, Fredi Gonzalez went to Florida and Brian Snitker was back in the Majors again as 3rd base coach for Atlanta.
“Snit was like a father figure for us in the Minors,” Francoeur said. “Now he gets to be a real dad for his own family.” (He has a son and a daughter.)
“He’s had to miss a lot and I know that was difficult for him,” Ronnie said. “It isn’t easy to balance baseball and family, especially in the Minors.
“But it’s all worked out. He was a baseball player when I married him. We knew what we were getting into.”
'Snit'
Snitker always seemed to have a great relationship with his players and he’s said to be a great communicator. He’s coached or managed all the young players now in Atlanta – and, from what I’ve read, it seems to be accepted that one day he will manage in the Major Leagues. Along with Terry Pendelton, Brian was considered by the Royals for their manager’s position. Bobby’s successor??
It’s just my opinion, but I wonder if he wouldn’t better serve the Braves, Bobby in particular, as bench coach instead of Chino. Chino has managed but his strengths seem to be more in coaching, while Brian is clearly the better manager. That’s just my take on it.
Brian Snitker. He’s been there, done that, and got all the T-shirts. Got to respect those long, long years in the Minors, his perserverance and just plain old doggedness, as well as doing a really good job. Respect for a good guy.
~CL~
