Brian Snitker played his first professional game for the Kingsport (Tenn.) Braves in 1977, a year before Bobby Cox began his first tenure as Atlanta’s manager.

In 1980, when Snitker’s short playing career came to a close, Hank Aaron (then an executive with the club) made one of the best decisions in franchise history. Aaron gave Snitker a coaching job, not knowing that the young catcher would spend the next five decades becoming one of the most influential figures in franchise history.

It may have been easy to flippantly look at the contract extension Snitker received last week. I mean, he has won five consecutive division titles, and he should have won his second NL Manager of the Year Award last year. A common thought might have been, “Of course he’s going to keep managing as long as he wishes.”

But it truly is incredible to think Snitker will have a chance to manage through the 2025 season, around the time he turns 70. (His birthday is Oct. 17.) Cox was 69 when he ended his Hall of Fame managerial career in 2010, with some guy named Brian Snitker as his third-base coach.

Now Snitker will enter his 47th year in the Braves organization as the proud captain of the ship. His story is truly an incredible one.  You likely know about how he nearly walked away from this dream job after the 2017 season, when he didn’t want to work for former team execs John Hart and John Coppolella. Those two would have likely dismissed Snitker had they not been handed MLB sanctions. 

You can still feel some anger build whenever Snitker talks about how former GM Frank Wren removed him as the third-base coach and sent him to Triple-A Gwinnett to manage after the 2013 season. Spinning it as a promotion certainly didn’t work, especially with the guy who felt he was being demoted.

After Snitker guided the Braves to the first of five NL East titles in 2018, I detailed many of the trials and tribulations he’d encountered over the past four decades. As time has passed, it has become even clearer that he truly was the man for the job when he was named interim manager six weeks into the 2016 season, with the rebuilding Braves just 9-28.

After waiting nearly 40 years to become a big league manager, Snitker nearly had to remove his starting pitcher (Aaron Blair) in the first inning of his first game. Safe to say things have gotten much better thanks to Snitker, who guided the organization through a rough rebuild and into a period of success that could rival or maybe even surpass what the Braves experienced during the 1990s and early 2000s. 

It’s often tough to say goodbye to coworkers who opt to go elsewhere. But as much as I’m going to miss Chip Caray, I’m thrilled for his new opportunity with the Cardinals’ television booth. This is one of those instances when a change of scenery – or, in this case, a chance to go home -- might be just what the doctor ordered. 

So it’s best to be happy for Chip and his family, who will now be introduced to his St. Louis roots. Many of us have never known a Braves broadcast team that didn’t include at least one Caray. But with Joe Simpson still around, we still have the good fortune of having the link to Ernie, Pete and Skip, who has proudly looked down on his son in Atlanta and will continue to do so in St. Louis.

Who will replace Chip in the Braves’ television booth? Tom Hart is a finalist many of you likely remember as the Braves’ sideline reporter about a decade ago. Hart has spent much of the decade calling college football, basketball and baseball games for ESPN. The fun he has with Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic while calling the SEC Network Game of the Week leads me to believe he and Jeff Francoeur would be a great duo.

When word of Caray’s departure leaked, many fans clamored for Ben Ingram to be his replacement. But it looks like Ingram will remain in his preferred role on the radio side. Ingram is very talented and probably could eventually make a successful transition to TV, but he’s as good as it gets on the radio side, and Braves fans are fortunate to have a chance to continue listening to him for many years to come.

This past season, Matt Olson became the fifth player in Braves history to record at least 30 homers and 40 doubles in a season. Which one of these players hasn’t done this for the Braves? 

A. Andruw Jones
B. Ozzie Albies
C. Hank Aaron
D. Freddie Freeman

Jesse Chavez, Adeiny Hechavarria, Ehire Adrianza, Kevin Pillar and Jared Shuster headline the list of non-roster players who have been invited to participate in the Braves’ big league Spring Training camp.

Chavez will almost assuredly earn an Opening Day spot in the bullpen. Hechavarria could provide insurance if the Braves aren’t comfortable giving the starting shortstop job to Orlando Arcia or Vaughn Grissom, or he could compete with Adrianza to begin the season as Atlanta’s backup infielder.

Pillar will go to camp looking to win a job as a backup outfielder. He could serve as a late-inning defensive replacement for left Eddie Rosario, or they two could possibly platoon.

Shuster likely won’t be on Atlanta’s Opening Day roster, but this will be a big year for the former first-round pick. The success Shuster, Bryce Elder, Ian Anderson and Mike Soroka have this year will give the Braves a better feel for their rotation needs over the next couple seasons.

A. Andruw Jones hit 36 homers and tallied 36 doubles in 2000, but he never tallied 40 doubles in a season. Hank Aaron added 40-plus doubles to a 30-homer season twice (1959 and 1965). Chipper Jones (1999) is the only Brave to tally 40 doubles and 40 homers in the same season. Albies (2021) and Freeman (2016) each had one season with 40-plus doubles and 30-plus homers. 

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