Atlanta Braves interim manager Brian Snitker talks with reporters in the dugout before a baseball ga …
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It seemed like it was only a matter of time that Fredi Gonzalez would be shown the door in Atlanta as the manager of the Atlanta Braves after a couple of disappointing seasons. First base coach Terry Pendleton will become the bench coach and former Braves catcher Eddie Perez will become the first base coach, with Marty Reed being named the bullpen coach. The Braves are clearly in a rebuilding phase with one of the worst rosters in Major League Baseball, but the 52-year-old manager was canned amid his sixth season in Atlanta.
The Braves were competitive through the first half of the 2015 season, posting a 42-42 mark.
If Gonzalez’s deficiencies in developing young players or running a game weren’t quite on a par with his people skills, his supporters can point to his 434-413 record and two postseason appearances in Atlanta as evidence that the guy can manage a little bit.
The Braves dropped to an MLB-worst 9-28 after an 8-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday.
The Braves were 82 games over.
The Braves are 2-17 at home and 7-11 on the road. So now that they’re 9-28 and on a pace to go 39-123, why make a human sacrifice of the manager?
Gonzalez was hired in 2010 to replace the retiring Bobby Cox.
Despite a winning the Manager of the Year award in 2008 and a 276-279 career record with the Marlins, Gonzalez was sacked as their manager in June of 2010. Rumors about his job status had been going around for weeks.
John Schuerholz, a member of the organization since 1990, stepped down as team president in March. Injuries and trades have purged the team of even more good players. If the Braves wanted to win more than this, they should have had better players. In 2012, he led the Braves to their first-ever National League wild card playoff game, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3. Jeff Francoeur hit his first home run for the Braves since June, 2009. That stoked criticism of Gonzalez, who said afterward that he would’ve used Kimbrel for a four-out save, but not for the last six outs. Seriously, who cares? Whether the Braves lose 100 games or 110 games this year is immaterial.
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But Gonzalez was anxious and was already on shaky ground throughout the season.
