Atlanta Braves: Colon Question First Fan Test for Manager Snitker
By W. M. Lawson
The Atlanta Braves went Pitcher shopping in the last off-season. One of those purchases is a liability, and now all eyes are on Manager Brian Snitker.
There has been an inordinate amount of ink spilled since last night’s atrocious outing by Atlanta Braves Pitcher Bartolo Colon. In fact, this season really has been one long embarrassing turn for the 43-year-old vet. Many are talking about moving him. Many are imploring that it is time for him to go. That, however, is just one interesting facet of this June question.
So, let’s get this out of the way: Yes. Colon absolutely must go. I wasn’t a fan of the pick up to begin with. But I’m wrong about all kinds of things, so there was hope he could do the things promised…”eat innings” (nope), provide clubhouse leadership for a young team (maybe), keep the Braves in games early (uhhh, no).
By all accounts, Colon is a nice guy and a great teammate. But anyone who has played this game competitively will tell you that losing gets old. It’s great to enjoy playing with someone, and slumps happen (you gotta pick your teammate up), but this isn’t a slump. He’s just bad. Colon has been so bad the Braves have no chance to win when he’s on the mound. With a team that will struggle and battle to win any game, you can’t have that.
So, that’s settled. But the point here is that this is the first real eye-test that fans will get on Manager Brian Snitker. One of the biggest complaints about former Manager Fredi Gonzalez was that he was slow to make necessary moves that seemed obvious.
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I’m not talking about being overly cautious or patient with a player. I’m talking being paralyzed by circumstances. I’m talking being intractable. There were many nine game losing streaks that looked to be extended because of the “deer in the headlights” approach Gonzalez seemed to employ.
This is the first chance we get to see Snitker in action. We can already see that this team is different under him. They battle daily. They seem to have improved in various areas. And because of these things, they are much more fun to watch than last year…even though they still have a losing record.
Now, which path Snitker should choose is one that I’ll abstain from approaching here. There are contract issues and timing issues with bringing up Pitchers. Trade issues and other needs come into play. We’ll save that for another time.
That said, what, if anything, Brian Snitker does here will say volumes. He has been in the Braves’ organization forever, and is known as a “player’s coach”. He’s an old school baseball soul. But, remember, he is on a one year contract. Fan perception and attendance matters. How he handles this situation, and something has to be done, will tell us a lot about exactly what kind of big league Manager he will be. Or already is.