Brian Snitker Reflects Upon Roy Clark's Impact on Braves

The baseball world is mourning the loss of MLB scout and executive Roy Clark, who passed away at 68 years old on Friday night. His time with the Atlanta Braves left a mark that's still felt to this day.

Manager Brian Snitker, among many more, highlighted his skilled eye for talent, along with how much they'll miss the person behind the talented scout that he was.

"He was instrumental in our success," Snitker said, "and what he did for the organization. He was a dear friend foremost."

Clark's love of the game stood out not just when scouting, but when he'd go out and throw a round of batting practice, too. The effort he put in everywhere was not lost on anyone. He was what Snitker called a "tireless worker."

"I mean, just the work that he did here. He allowed [former Braves general manager] John [Schuerholz] to make trades. He'd make trades, and they'd just restock the pipeline."

He joined the Braves in 1989 and quickly proved to be one of the most valuable scouts in the organization. He worked his way up to the role of scouting director, which he served as for 11 years before leaving for the Washington Nationals in 2009. He later served as an exceutive for the Kansas City Royals.

Clark is credited with scouting the likes of Freddie Freeman, Charlie Morton, Brian McCann, Adam Wainwright, Craig Kimbrel, Jeff Francouer, Jason Heyward and many more.

These are just the examples who were high draft picks. Snitker pointed to Clark's eye for the diamonds in the rough and location Major League talent from the pool of undrafted players.

"That was back in the day when those guys held tryout camps," he said. "It's like after the draft, and they'd go around, and I remember managing in minor league towns and going to them...and you'd find a big-leaguer in there."

No matter where he went in his career, the Braves were always the team that Clark's heart.

"It was easy to tell that too," Snitker said. "He was what a Brave looked like. That term, the Braves' way, he helped put that into place."

In Snitker's mind, which he saw as a testament to the character Clark had, the Braves' way involved crafting the makeup of a ballplayer as a person beyond their abilities.

"We raised those guys to be professionals and how to play the game and carry tourseld and how you dressed, and it was all part of that Braves' way," Snitker said.

It's a tough day for many around baseball, but it's given them a chance to reflect on the man who left an impact on them and what he meant to many.

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