ATLANTA -- A year after doubting whether he'd have the chance to extend what was an unexpected opportunity, Braves skipper Brian Snitker can now proudly lay claim to the 2018 National League Manager of the Year Award.
Snitker was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude when he was announced as the winner on Tuesday evening. Less than three years after being given what was expected to be a short-term, interim role as a Major League manager, he proved he was the right man to lead the Braves through a rebuild and back to the postseason.
Snitker received 17 first-place votes and was included on each of the 30 ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. He finished ahead of Milwaukee's Craig Counsell, who received 11 first-place votes. Colorado's Bud Black and Chicago's Joe Maddon each received one first-place vote.
Guiding the Braves to an unexpected NL East crown highlighted what was a memorable 12-month span for Snitker. The 63-year-old baseball lifer has served as a player, coach or manager within the Braves organization dating back to 1977. But a little more than a year ago, he wondered whether he had a future with the club.
When the 2017 season ended, former Braves general manager John Coppolella wanted a different manager and Snitker had no desire to continue working for Coppolella.
Everything changed when Coppolella was relieved of his duties the day after the season. Snitker's contract option for the 2018 was exercised just a few days later. Another key development occurred in early November, when Alex Anthopoulos was lured to Atlanta to run the Braves' baseball operations.
Though Snitker might not have been familiar with the more aggressive analytics approach Anthopoulos brought to the organization, Snitker benefited from his willingness to digest the information and use it to fortify the knowledge and leadership skills he had gathered over the previous four decades.
One of the most memorable moments of this past season occurred when an enraged Snitker emphatically yelled at Jose Urena after the Marlins' pitcher beaned Ronald Acuna Jr. with a first-pitch fastball on Aug. 15. The passion and protective nature shown certainly weren't surprising to former Braves Jeff Francoeur, Kelly Johnson, David Justice or the countless others who had Snitker as a manager at the Minor League level.
Snitker rekindled his Minor League managerial career when John Schuerholz became Atlanta's manager after the 1990 season. He also swallowed his pride when Frank Wren demoted him from Braves third-base coach to Triple-A manager after the 2013 season.
Once the sting of that move evaporated over the season that followed, Snitker accepted the likelihood he would never have the opportunity to manage in the big leagues.
That all changed when he replaced Fredi Gonzalez as Atlanta's manager six weeks into the 2016 season. Snitker inherited a team that was 9-28. But Freddie Freeman said he and his teammates felt like they were 28-9 when Snitker addressed the team before his first game as a big league skipper.
Once that season concluded, the Braves stuck with Snitker, passing on the opportunity to hire Black. The decision was influenced by a campaign waged by Freeman and Nick Markakis, who quickly grew appreciative and comfortable with Snitker's leadership.
Given they had been part of the three consecutive 90-loss seasons during the organization's massive rebuild, Freeman, Markakis and Julio Teheran had a genuine appreciation for the tears of joy Snitker shed on Sept. 22, when the Braves clinched the NL East. Many preseason predictions had Atlanta pegged for a fourth-place finish.
The Braves spent 115 days in first place and never experienced anything longer than a four-game losing streak. Snitker's calm approach fueled his team's resilient nature, a trait that was seen when Atlanta blew a six-run, eighth-inning lead to the Red Sox on Sept. 5 and then proceeded to essentially seal the division by winning seven of the next eight games.
Snitker benefited from the MVP-caliber production Freeman provided and the great success NL Rookie of the Year Award-winner Acuna had upon being moved to the leadoff spot after the All-Star break. But Snitker also pushed all of the right buttons with the pitching staff, which was without its only experienced closer for approximately 3 1/2 months. Four of the five relievers who made at least 50 appearances had never experienced a full Major League season.
Mark Bowman covers the Braves for MLB.com.
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