Snitker Reflects on Reaching 800th Win as Braves Manager

Brian Snitker celebrated a milestone in the Atlanta Braves' 4-1 win over the Cubs Monday night. He picked up his 800th career Major League win as a manager. 

With the long path he had been on in his five-decade career in professional baseball, it felt hard to believe that this moment had come. 

“I [didn’t] think I’d ever have one win as a manager, honestly, after all the recycles and everything I went through,” he said. “I’ve been blessed to be around a lot of good players.”

Snitker has the second-most wins all-time by a Braves manager in the modern era (since 1901), trailing only the man he coached under, Bobby Cox (2,149).  

Overall, he has a record of 800-661 with a World Series win and the 2018 National League Manager of the Year under his belt. Not too bad for someone who took over at 60 years old. 

For reference, Cox got the job first at 37 years old and then again at 49.

Snitker said he wouldn’t be where he is now without the help of a great ball team behind him. 

“Any award a manager gets is a byproduct of his team, pretty much, in the organization,” he said. “I just got to stay around long enough with a really good team to do that.”

Now, while the Braves have had some great players in his time as manager, a manager has to make the most of the players he has. It certainly takes the right guy at the helm to keep everyone focused to come back from below .500 and win a World Series - deadline acquisitions aside. 

Many might ignore this with the struggles that have ensued this season, but keep this in mind. Snitker is one of two Atlanta Braves managers to win it all and also win manager of the year. 

Fredi González didn’t. Joe Torre didn’t. Chuck Tanner, nor Russ Nixon either. There is something to be said about that, and as this season moves further into the past, it’ll be easier to see that again. 

Snitker has a winning percentage of .548, the fourth-highest by any Braves manager in the modern era, and of course, the second-highest in the Atlanta era. Only Fred Haney, Chuck Dressen and Cox are ahead of him. 

It’s his second-highest winning percentage he’s had in any level of professional baseball (he had a .571 winning percentage in High-A). Four of his five best winning percentages in a season as a manager have come as a Major League manager. 

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