Let’s go ahead and get this out of the way: from a purely tactical standpoint, myself and others have been critical of Braves’ manager Brian Snitker in the past. Whether it was his lineup construction, his bullpen management, or his “loyalty to a fault” that he has exhibited in the past, he has never done anything so egregious as to make make one throw their TV, but also has at times seemed to eschew mounds of data and research in favor of his personal preferences. I will be the first to concede that a lot of these lost advantages are very marginal, but it has been certainly irksome in the past that he continued to slot Ender Inciarte in the leadoff spot when its clear that he just isn’t a good choice for leadoff hitter, lean on the same bullpen arms over and over again despite plenty of reasons not to, and find a way to get your best hitter fewer plate appearances over the course of a season.
Brian Snitker deserves praise for navigating a rocky start to the season
