Latest insight on the Braves managerial search

The Braves’ managerial search is unfolding exactly how Alex Anthopoulos said he wanted it to from the beginning — without any leaks from the inside.

Across every corner of the baseball world, there’s been nothing but radio silence. No reports of interviews, no hints of who’s rising to the top of the list. All that’s circulating are the same familiar names that have been tossed around since Brian Snitker announced his retirement — David Ross, Mark DeRosa, Walt Weiss, and John Gibbons — all of whom have either Braves ties or direct connections to Anthopoulos.

Ross spent time as a catcher in Atlanta. DeRosa came up through the organization. Weiss served as Snitker’s bench coach. And Gibbons managed in Toronto during Anthopoulos’ tenure as general manager of the Blue Jays.

Given the Braves’ track record of hiring from within, it’s easy to assume they’ll stick to that approach — targeting someone who understands “the Braves way.” Established relationships, like Anthopoulos’ with Gibbons, could also play a role. However, there are a few reasons to believe the speculation surrounding these names may not be close to what’s actually happening behind closed doors.

For one, nobody really knows what Anthopoulos is looking for in a manager. This is uncharted territory for him in Atlanta, and previous front office tendencies don’t necessarily apply. Braves legend Chipper Jones put it best earlier this month:

“We don’t know what Alex is thinking,” Jones said. “He’s never had to do this before. Is he going to get somebody from the outside? Is he going to get somebody with very little experience? Is he going to get a bunch of experience? Is it going to be old school? Is it going to be a Braves lineage guy? Nobody knows.”

It’s also worth noting how much time has passed since Snitker stepped down. The Braves have almost certainly completed a number of interviews, and all of the early rumored candidates remain unemployed. If any of them were truly the frontrunner, the search likely would have ended already, especially considering how desirable the Atlanta job is.

Braves insider Mark Bowman has even gone as far as to rule out several of those initial “top” names.

“David Ross and Mark DeRosa were speculated as candidates throughout the summer months,” Bowman wrote. “But as October has progressed, there has been no indication that either can be considered a candidate.”

He also poured cold water on the Gibbons speculation:

“When John Gibbons voluntarily removed himself from the Mets’ coaching staff, there was reason to think he might be a fit in Atlanta. The 62-year-old coaching veteran was Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos’ manager in Toronto from 2012-15. But a source has said Gibbons isn’t a candidate to become the Braves’ next manager.”

All signs suggest this is a meticulous and wide-ranging process, one that could end with a surprise choice few saw coming when the search began.