Atlanta never really had a shot without their horses lined up. If the Braves were ever going to advance in October, it was going to be on the backs of their pitching staff. While the bullpen held up their end of the bargain, Atlanta’s rotation didn’t.
Max Fried didn’t make it far into Game 2 before he was pulled, but more than anything, the Braves didn’t have their best arms available in Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach for the Wild Card round.
Some blamed Brian Snitker, and I’m not sure how. There’s nobody to blame. The Braves were struck by too many injuries to overcome, and their timing was the worst part. Atlanta’s skipper should be praised if anything.
Braves fans should commend Snit for keeping the club together despite their best players going down, but somehow, fans are calling for his job. Well, here’s a news flash — Brian Snitker will be back in 2025.
His job was never in jepordy. The only reason the Braves would go into next season with a different manager would be if Snit decided to hang it up, and he’s not. Following last night’s loss, Snitker told the media that he intends to be the Braves manager next season and wishes Spring Training began tomorrow.
Brian Snitker said he intends to manage next season. He said he wishes spring training began tomorrow.
Brian Snitker, like every manager, deserves some criticism. However, Braves fans aren’t considering how much worse it could be. There aren’t ten better managers in baseball than Snit; hell, there might not be five.
At the end of the day, this was a season from hell. Jesus Christ himself couldn’t have managed this Braves team further than Snitker did.
As has been the case for the last couple of years in Atlanta, the core of the club is set to remain intact, but after three straight disappointing early exits in the postseason, one has to wonder if Alex Anthopoulos may consider shaking things up. There are also a number of older players that will mull over retirement, none more important than Charlie Morton.
After the Braves were eliminated, the 41-year-old discussed his future, sounding a lot like a guy who knows it might be time to focus on things bigger than the game of baseball.
Morton: “I’m soon to be 41 year old husband and father of four. My wife’s been raising our kids by herself…our oldest is 11 years old. All these years that have gone by, we’ve been a baseball family and I’ve been gone for a lot of it. That’s where my head and heart is at”
This isn’t too different than what Charlie Morton has said after each season with the Braves, yet his results on the field do suggest the end of the road is much closer than it may have seemed in year’s past. Over 30 starts, he posted a 4.19 ERA to go along with a 4.49 FIP, his highest mark since 2010. His 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings was also his lowest mark since 2015.
However, as Charlie Morton said after the Braves clinched a postseason berth a few days ago, it wasn’t necessarily bad enough to suggest he can’t still be a serviceable major-league pitcher anymore.
“This year didn’t go great but it still wasn’t bad enough to be like I can’t do this anymore”
Charlie talking about if this is it
I expected him like an old man lol I didn’t expect him to be so chill I think I’ve heard him talk like twice lol
I love him
Over the last several years, Charlie Morton seems to be hoping for the game to retire him, so he doesn’t have to walk away himself, one of the most difficult things to do for any professional athlete. This lifestyle isn’s easy on the families of players, but the game is also all Morton has known for over three decades.
Understandably, no decision is going to be made today regarding his future. He’ll probably take at least a few weeks, just as he has in years past, and some of it might depend on the Braves. Morton has made it clear how much he loves it in Atlanta, and if Alex Anthopoulos decides he wants him around for one more ride, I’m sure that will only make his decision that much more difficult.
