Breaking down the Braves Decision to Remove the interim tag on Brian Snitker

The most intriguing managerial search in baseball this offseason has been control of the dugout at SunTrust Park next season with a Tomahawk across the chest.

With a talented core of position players both ready for the major league level or on stand by and a plethora of arms in the minors to give a manager job security for 10 years, potential managers should be calling the Braves to ask for interviews.

Before last weekend the Braves reportedly narrowed their candidates down to three names: the interim manager Brian Snitker, former Padres manager Bud Black and former Rangers manager Ron Washington.

Brian Snitker replaced Fredi Gonzalez after he was relieved of his duties in May, and put the Braves in an offseason predicament that they definitely didn't expect. Coach Snit exceeded expectations and won more games than they expected. Snitker inherited a ball club that was spiraling into a record setting losing record and led them to a winning record (37-35) after the All Star Break.

Bud Black was the manager of the San Diego Padres from 200-2015 when he was dismissed midseason. Black's record was 649-713 in San Diego, he won NL Manager of the year in 2010, the only season he won 90 games, and showed a talent for managing pitchers. Ultimately his managerial talent was undermined by bad decisions out the GM's office (which ironically included a pair of trades with the Braves).

Ron Washington managed the Texas Rangers from 2007-2014, winning two AL Pennants and winning 90 games four times in his tenure. By far the most successful of the three final candidates, Washington was forced to resign in Texas after the wheels fell off his successful stretch and he failed a drug test for cocaine. Since then he's served as a bench coach for the Oakland Athletics, where he coached before getting his manager gig in Texas.

Snitker has been a player, minor league manager, third base coach and interim manager in the Braves organization for 40 years - he's been here longer than anybody in the organization. Now he can add manager to his list of duties within the organization. When Snitker won 20 of 30 games to close out the season, he secured his position as the future manager. The Braves still needed to do their due diligence searching for a candidate outside the organization, and they did, which meant they could circle back to the guy who deserves this job.

When Washington was the manager in Texas, the general manager in the front office was current Braves President of Baseball Operations John Hart. While it seemed interviewing Washington for the manager job was initially a favor to help rebuild his reputation, bringing him along as one of the final three candidates meant that he had a serious shot at the job. Hiring him as the Third Base coach next season puts postseason and World Series managing experience in your dugout that wasn't there previously.

When the Braves declined to pick up the club option on Roger McDowell's contract last season, it looked like they were leaning toward signing Bud Black as manager. Black was an MLB pitcher for 15 seasons, pitching for John Scherholtz when he was the GM in Kansas City in the 80's and for John Hart in Cleveland when was the GM there in the mid-90's. It has been no secret that the Braves value pitching the most in their rebuild, so hiring a pitching oriented coach that would probably bring in his own pitching coach staff seemed the most likely decision.

Snitker turned the club around, with the help of the front office making moves at the deadline and the rookies living up to the hype. After 40 years of service to the organization and winning more than they had planned Snitker was the most deserving candidate for this job. Even though the Braves looked at other managers for their due diligence, Hart said “We’re not afraid to make a hard or unpopular decision. If we do come back to Brian, it’s because he’s the guy we want," before the decision was made. They're not settling with Brian Snitker. The Braves had an opportunity to get a marquee manager, and for this club this offseason, Snitker is the marquee manager for this organization.

Getting the Bobby Cox seal of approval probably helped his resume as well - “[He] knows baseball inside and out, knows it as well as I ever did, that’s for darn sure.” Cox added: “I would love to see him come back.”

Snitker's Staff

Bench Coach: Terry Pendleton - the former Brave's third baseman and 1991 NL MVP has been with the organization since retiring, serving as a hitting coach and first base coach. Snitker requested that his good friend Pendleton join him in the dugout as bench coach when he was chosen as the interim.

1st Base Coach: Eddie Perez - still a candidate for the Colorado Rockies job, Perez is a fan favorite among former bullpen coaches turned first base coaches. He served as Maddux's personal catcher for several years in Atlanta and is building a resume to become a manager at some point in his career.

3rd Base Coach: Ron Washington - last year's third base coach Bo Porter was moved to be a Special Assistant to the GM, most likely working with player development. Washington brings postseason support to Snitker's staff and the experience of postseason pressure will help if this team is fighting for spot in September and October.

Hitting Coach: Eddie Seitzer, Jose Castro (Asst.) - both coaches return from last season, had the offense not turned it around in the second half (1st in MLB in Runs, Hits, EXBH, BA and OPS after August 31st) these guys might not have returned. After the offense turned it on, hopefully these guys can carry the second half momentum into next year.

Pitching Coach: Chuck Hernandez - former pitching coach of the Miami Marlins that was heavily involved in the development of the deceased Jose Fernandez, Hernandez has a track record of developing young talent compared to McDowell's strengths of maintaining developed pitchers.

Bullpen Coach: Marty Reed - Snitker's manager replacement in Gwinnett, from the same position in Gwinnett, this smells like a Snitker preference having worked together before and they probably work on the same wavelengths.