By: Drayton Hogarth

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

With Major League Baseball in the middle of the playoff run, the Atlanta Braves have made news for the 2017 season by taking the interim tag off of Brian Snitker, and have now named him the new permanent manager.

This is a move that may be looked at as the easy route to take, but that is not the case. The Braves front office has seen first-hand how the team responded to the leadership of Snitker, and that response allowed the Braves to finish the season as one of the hottest teams in all of baseball and that is too much to overlook.

After the disastrous 9-28 start of the season under Fredi Gonzalez, the move was made to bring long-time Braves employee, Brian Snitker, to try to steady the ship.

It took a little time, but that is exactly what he did; overall, the Braves finished 59-65, but it was after the All-star break when the influences of Snitker came to the forefront.

The post All-star break record was 37-35, and most impressively the Braves closed the season with a 20-10 record over the last 30 games. Most of those coming against teams in the heat of the playoff hunt, including the Nationals, Mets, and Tigers.

There was much talk that the Braves would want to make a big splash with the managerial spot because of heading into the brand spanking new home of the Braves, Suntrust Park.

Most reports say that the Atlanta decision makers did interview former Padres and Giants manager, Bud Black, as well as former Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington. The Braves, of course, also interviewed in-house candidates Terry Pendelton, Eddie Perez, and Bo Porter. There is an interesting thread that connects almost all of the names mentioned above, all but Black are still or now working with the Braves organization.

The coaching staff for the Braves for the 2017 season, under the Snitker regime, includes most of the candidates who interviewed for the manager’s job, including former manager of the year, Ron Washington.

Washington must have liked what he heard from the Braves to accept the all-important job of third base coach, even after speaking with the team about the top job on the field.

Terry Pendelton will remain as the team’s bench coach and Snitker’s right-hand man. Eddie Perez maintains his role as the first base coach, having moved from the bullpen coaching job.

Bo Porter will be making the biggest change in duties, as he moves from the field to an assistant to the General Manager role. Braves General Manager John Coppolella can use Porter’s on-field experience to bring a different perspective to the front office.

With the Braves parting ways with long-time pitching coach Roger McDowell, the move was made to promote their minor league pitching coordinator, Chuck Hernandez. Hernandez has a strong background working with young pitching staffs and is familiar with the Braves young arms that are currently or soon to be in Atlanta.

The best hire was having hitting coach, Kevin Seitzer, remain in his current role. The Braves were the best hitting team in the National League down the stretch, and Seitzer played a major role in that development.

So, while this may not be the most ground-breaking managerial announcement, it is a great decision to reward Brian Snitker with the full-time manager’s job.

The players responded to his persona and style. Plus, Snitker will have a coaching staff full of trusted confidants that helped the team turn things around in the second half of the season and enough changes by bringing in successful outside influences, such as Ron Washington and Chuck Hernandez to offer different perspectives that are not just that mindset of the status quo.

With a couple of clever roster moves, this Braves team may very well christen Suntrust Park with a playoff run.