It was expected to be a tough, rebuilding season for the Atlanta Braves, but it was still too much for the team to handle. The Braves fired manager Fredi Gonzalez on Tuesday following the team's 9-28 start. Their Triple-A manager Brian Snitker will take over on an interim basis.
The team's offense is the leading cause of their troubles, hitting a major league-low 11 home runs. Four players have more home runs than the Braves do combined.They have lost 19 of their past 24 games where they have averaged 2.7 runs per game, with eight home runs.
The 52-year-old Gonzalez became manager of the Braves in 2011 after Bobby Cox retired. He managed the Florida Marlins from 2007 to 2010, and was the third base coach for Atlanta before that gig. His best season with the Braves came in 2013, where he recorded 96 wins, but fell to the Dodgers 3-1 in the NLDS. He finishes his stay with the Braves with a record of 434-413, and now has a major-league record of 710-692.
The team's interim manager Snitker has seen time at the major league level with the team as a bullpen coach in 1985 and from 1988 to 1990.
The Braves, who are 2-8 in their past 10, become the first team to fire their manager this season. Sources speculated that Chipper Jones is a leading candidate as a replacement, but the former third baseman shot that down on Twitter. Jones' tweet stated "Hmmm, gotta figure out which of ur sources is all that close to me."
The Braves' rebuilding process got that much more stressful with this move, as the hunt for the right manager of the future for this team begins.
The team's offense is the leading cause of their troubles, hitting a major league-low 11 home runs. Four players have more home runs than the Braves do combined.They have lost 19 of their past 24 games where they have averaged 2.7 runs per game, with eight home runs.
The 52-year-old Gonzalez became manager of the Braves in 2011 after Bobby Cox retired. He managed the Florida Marlins from 2007 to 2010, and was the third base coach for Atlanta before that gig. His best season with the Braves came in 2013, where he recorded 96 wins, but fell to the Dodgers 3-1 in the NLDS. He finishes his stay with the Braves with a record of 434-413, and now has a major-league record of 710-692.
The team's interim manager Snitker has seen time at the major league level with the team as a bullpen coach in 1985 and from 1988 to 1990.
The Braves, who are 2-8 in their past 10, become the first team to fire their manager this season. Sources speculated that Chipper Jones is a leading candidate as a replacement, but the former third baseman shot that down on Twitter. Jones' tweet stated "Hmmm, gotta figure out which of ur sources is all that close to me."
The Braves' rebuilding process got that much more stressful with this move, as the hunt for the right manager of the future for this team begins.
