Braves beat reporter floats Tony Vitello as a potential Brian Snitker replacement

Just one day removed from Brian Snitker deciding to step down as Braves manager, there have been no concrete reports regarding who Alex Anthopoulos might be targeting to replace him.

The obvious names are already circulating among MLB insiders. The Braves could stay in-house, as they did with Snitker a decade ago, and promote bench coach Walt Weiss. Former Braves players David Ross and Mark DeRosa have been linked to the job as well, along with longtime fan favorite Ron Washington.

But one of the more intriguing names comes from David O’Brien of The Athletic, who floated Tennessee Volunteers head coach Tony Vitello as a potential candidate.

“If the Braves think outside the box, they might consider University of Tennessee coach Tony Vitello.” O’Brien wrote. 

Calling Vitello an “outside the box” candidate is putting it mildly. If Anthopoulos went in that direction, it would be a bombshell hire — a complete 180 from the organizational tendencies we’ve seen in Atlanta for decades.

Perhaps that’s exactly what the Braves need. This is a team that’s coming off one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. Oddsmakers gave the Braves the second-best odds to win the World Series coming into the year, and by August, they were all but eliminated from playoff contention.

Tony Vitello has done a masterful job building the Tennessee Volunteers into a powerhouse, winning the program’s first national championship in 2024. His brash, no-nonsense style has drawn national attention, so it’s not surprising that his name surfaces when high-profile jobs open up.

It’s also worth remembering this is the first managerial hire Anthopoulos will make in Atlanta. Brian Snitker was already in place when he arrived in 2018, so no one really knows what type of manager he’ll be looking for this time around.

Still, turning to Tony Vitello, who has no affiliation whatsoever to Major League Baseball, would be a seismic shift for the Braves, more fantasy than reality at this point.