Braves Legends Reflect on Brian Snitker's Legacy

The Atlanta Braves inducted Brian Snitker into their Hall of Fame on Saturday, as part of a ceremony to honor his legacy with the team. In all kinds of weather, the show went on. 

Rain proved to be a blessing in disguise. While it meant pushing the ceremony indoors in Atlanta, a rainout in Queens meant that Troy Snitker could be there for his father. 

Just after 8 p.m., he donned the blazer with the Hall of Fame patch on the left side of the chest for the first time. His multi-decade footprint on Braves history had been imortalized. 

“It’s like a unicorn in the game,” Braves' 2010 All-Star Tim Hudson said. “It’s not going to happen. Fifty years in the game is unbelievable, but then you think about 50 years with one organization. That’s something really special, and it’s just a testament to people like him.”

Few will have a career as long as Snitker has had, let alone with one team. That type of impact is reflected in who was there and who was able to share stories of him.  

There was no shortage of Braves legends in attendance for his moment: Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, David Justice, Ralph Garr, Dale Murphy, Terry Pendleton, Tim Hudson, Leo Mazzone, Joe Simpson and John Schuerholz.

A tribute video included some other notable former Braves who weren’t in attendance, including Freddie Freeman, Brian McCann and Dansby Swanson. In-person or on video, they all had their paths cross with the man of the night. 

Those who attended reflected on the two sides of Snitker. There was the man who dedicated 50 years of his life to an organization. But, there was also the man behind that legacy. He taught lessons to them, and he gave them a friend. 

“You know, don’t get me wrong. I love his coaching. I love his managing, but I love this man, because I know what the man stands for and I know who he is,” 1991 National League Terry Pendleton said. 

Snitker’s arc with the Braves began when he was a catcher in their minor league system. After he was released, Hank Aaron, who had become part of the front office, hired him to start coaching in the system. He’d proceed to wear all kinds of hats and gave him the chance to leave lasting impressions. 

Chipper Jones recalled having Snitker coach him in multiple ways out of the gate, before either of them were together in the majors. 

“I first met [Snitker in 1991],” Jones said when speaking at the induction ceremony. “What were you: My first base coach, my infield instructor and my hitting coach? He was kind of all three of them.” 

As a coach and manager, he got the experience of being up and down from the minor leagues. He had his first stint as a manager with the Class A Anderson Braves in 1982. By 1985, he was a coach in the big leagues for the first time. In 1985, and then again from 1988 to 1990, he served as the bullpen coach. 

As a manager, he’s slowly creep his way up each level and had his share of winning along he way. He won two championships with Double-A Mrytle Beach and won the league’s Manager of the Year award. 

From 2006 to 2013, he became the Braves’ third base coach, serving under Bobby Cox and then Fredi Gonzalez. He had one last minor league assignment after this: Manager of Triple-A Gwinnett, a position he held from 2014 until the middle of the 2016 season. 

The Braves chose to part ways with Gonzalez, and they needed a manager. Snitker’s chance had arrived as an interim manager, a tag that would be lifted to make his position official come 2017. 

Under Snitker, the Braves won six consecutive division titles, had two 100-win seasons and made the playoffs for seven consecutive years. The crown jewel of his tenure was the 2021 season, when the Braves won the World Series for the first time since 1995. 

He won 811 games as a manager in the majors after thinking he’d never win one. In 2018, he was named the 2018 National League Manager of the Year. 

“I mean, you could argue that he is probably the most deserving of anybody in this room or in the Braves Hall of Fame to be in the Braves Hall of Fame,” Jones said while looking over at Snitker during his speech. 

Few get to leave this type of legacy anywhere. Not just in baseball, but in life in general. 

Perhaps the fact that the relationships and the players he impacted being a key part of his personal legacy, naturally along with the World Series, says something about the man he is. 

“The texts that I’m getting this morning from all the former players I’ve had,” Snitker said ahead of the ceremony. “That’s a big thing. I mean, the relationships, right? I’ve said this many times. It’s about ther relationships here.” 

While he was honored on Saturday for his efforts, the job still isn’t even done. He’s a senior adviser for the team. He’s still seen at the ballpark. He gets to put time into his grandchildren that he didn’t get to before. 

The Brian Snitker legacy is long. It’s storied, but the special part of it is that it’s still ongoing.