National League Manager of the Year: Brian Snitker, Atlanta Braves
Snitker’s candidacy is not unlike Servais’. Like Seattle, we expect to see Atlanta in the playoffs.
The Braves haven’t experienced futility for as long as the Mariners. Still, the last three years have been quite rough.
The past three years have been bad for the #Braves, but things are looking up in 2017. pic.twitter.com/PcF4I19mT9
— Sportsnaut (@Sportsnaut) February 7, 2017
So, why the optimism for a playoff spot?
For starters, the Braves were much better with Snitker at the helm, going 59-65. That may not seem like much to write home about, but Atlanta was 9-28 under Fredi Gonzalez. That’s a 39-123 pace. All of a sudden, 59-65 doesn’t seem so bad, does it?
The Braves also got a lot better after the call-up of Dansby Swanson. He’ll be with the team for all of 2017.
That, along with some savvy offensive moves, has put Atlanta in position to be vastly improved in 2017. Granted, the top of the National League East is loaded. But if the Braves can finish ahead of either the Washington Nationals or New York Mets in the National League East, we like their chances of sneaking in to the Wild Card race.
In general, the National League is strong at the top. Teams like the Nationals, Mets, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants are expected to be strong. And at least one of them will miss the playoffs.
But Atlanta is heading in the right direction after three years of futility. Some of those teams might be better, but they’re coming from a much stronger position. After the last three years, a team like the Braves even contending for a playoff spot will give Snitker a leg up in voting.