NLDS Managerial Report Card: Brian Snitker

As I’ve completed for the previous few years, I’m going to be grading every eradicated postseason supervisor on their decision-making. We spend the 12 months principally ignoring managers’ on-field contributions, as a result of to be trustworthy, they’re fairly small. Utilizing the unsuitable reliever within the eighth inning simply doesn’t really feel that unhealthy on June 22; there are such a lot of extra video games nonetheless coming, and the common season is extra about managing the grind than getting each attainable edge day-after-day. The playoffs aren’t like that; with so few video games to separate wheat from chaff, each final ounce of win likelihood issues, and managers make personnel choices accordingly. What higher time to grade them?

My purpose is to guage every supervisor by way of course of, not outcomes. In case you usher in your greatest pitcher to face their greatest hitter in an enormous spot, that’s determination no matter final result. Strive a triple steal with the bases loaded solely to have the opposite crew make 4 throwing errors to attain three runs? I’m in all probability going to name {that a} blunder despite the fact that it labored out. Managers do loads of different issues — getting crew buy-in for brand spanking new methods and unconventional bullpen utilization behind closed doorways is a ability I discover significantly helpful — however as I’ve no perception into how that’s completed or how every supervisor differs, I can’t precisely assign grades for it.

I’m additionally purposefully avoiding obscure qualitative considerations like “trusting your veterans as a result of they’ve been there earlier than.” Playoff protection lovingly focuses on clutch performs by confirmed performers, however Josh Jung and Geraldo Perdomo have been nice, too. Neglect trusting your veterans; the playoffs are about trusting your greatest gamers. Zack Wheeler is vital as a result of he’s an awesome participant, not due to the variety of playoff sequence he’s appeared in. There’s nothing inherently good about having been round a very long time; once I’m evaluating choices, “however he’s a veteran” simply doesn’t enter my thought course of.

I’ve already lined the losing managers of the Wild Card spherical and the opposite division series eliminations. At the moment, it’s Brian Snitker’s flip.

Brian Snitker, Atlanta Braves
Batting: C-
The Braves have the type of lineup that feels constructed for October, no less than to me: few simply attackable hitters who must be out of the sport towards lefty specialists. Sadly, they paired that with a reasonably weak bench: whichever of Sean Murphy or Travis d’Arnaud wasn’t beginning could be their greatest pinch-hitter relying on which model of Murphy you get that day. That made Snitker’s choices fairly simple; he platooned Kevin Pillar and Eddie Rosario and in any other case had a constant defensive alignment, although he spent a little bit of time shuffling lineup spots.

The lineup spot shuffling doesn’t matter a lot to me, which suggests there’s not a lot to say about Snitker’s early-series batting choices. Pillar is an effective possibility towards Ranger Suárez. Rosario is an effective possibility towards Philly’s righty relievers. Snitker made no different consequential choices in Recreation 1.

In Recreation 2, I wish to spotlight one determination that I’ll reference afterward: with José Alvarado pitching and compelled to face the subsequent batter because of the three-batter minimal, Michael Harris II was due as much as lead off the inning. It was a vital spot, with the Braves trailing by a run. Snitker opted to let Harris hit for himself, a call I agree with. Simply hold that one in thoughts. That apart, it was extra of the identical: platoon Rosario and Pillar, and no different shifting elements.

In Recreation 3, “catastrophe” struck: Pillar entered to face a lefty reliever within the sixth, then confronted a righty reliever within the eighth. In equity, the Braves have been down 8–2 on the time, so successful the sport was in all probability not the very first thing on Snitker’s thoughts, however he pinch-hit for Pillar utilizing Forrest Wall, who’s undoubtedly left-handed. That’s type of the tip of his resume: he’s a 27-year-old profession minor leaguer who’s primarily round as an emergency defensive outfielder. He bought a playoff at-bat, although, in order that’s cool.

The choice I’m not fairly certain about got here in Recreation 4. Pillar was again within the beginning lineup with Suárez on the mound. After a stable begin from Suárez, the Braves discovered themselves in a well-known scenario: down two runs, with Harris as a consequence of face Alvarado. This time, Alvarado might depart at any time, having already confronted 5 batters. However this time, Snitker pinch-hit for Harris with d’Arnaud, which predictably chased Alvarado from the sport, with Craig Kimbrel coming in early to carry the lead.

I’m undecided whether or not I desire the Harris/Alvarado matchup to the d’Arnaud/Kimbrel one, however Snitker had voted the other manner earlier within the sequence (albeit with a special probably pinch-hitter, as d’Arnaud was beginning that day). And there have been significant implications: the Phillies’ subsequent two relievers within the leverage hierarchy are each lefties, and the Braves had Wall within the lineup pinch-running for Orlando Arcia. Burning d’Arnaud for a matchup that doesn’t even appear higher to me gave them much less flexibility, and it additionally took Harris out of the sport.

To be honest, these spots within the lineup weren’t assured to bat. But when the Braves have been going to win the sport, they’d bat — one out within the seventh, six outs the remainder of the best way, and the 2 runs essential to tie makes 9 batters. A technique or one other, the Braves weren’t successful with out Wall’s spot developing within the lineup once more.

That’s how you find yourself with Rosario, who I’ve spent a whole part describing as a lefty who solely faces righties, pinch-hitting towards a lefty pitcher. That’s how you find yourself with Vaughn Grissom, who barely performed within the majors this 12 months, pinch-hitting for Nicky Lopez (who was the defensive sub for d’Arnaud). The Braves have been skinny on the hitting aspect. Pinch-hitting for a bona fide good hitter to get a tiny benefit — if any — strikes me as the one mistake Snitker made, however man, I actually don’t get what he was considering there. I can’t give him the next grade than a C-, as a result of the diploma of issue in managing these hitters was very low, and I’m nonetheless puzzling over the largest determination he made all sequence.

Pitching: B-
Snitker made a reputation for himself as a postseason supervisor, no less than in my eyes, with a masterful strategy to aid pitching within the 2021 playoffs. He understood sport scenario nicely and used his high-leverage arms liberally once they mattered, however he additionally protected them when video games bought out of hand. This 12 months, the circle of belief went deeper into the ‘pen: I rely between 5 and 7 relievers the Braves appeared prepared to belief, relying on how you’re feeling about AJ Smith-Shawver and Brad Hand. Snitker adjusted his ways through the use of good relievers extra liberally.

In Recreation 1, the Braves by no means scored whereas Spencer Strider threw seven two-run innings. A.J. Minter and Pierce Johnson allowed one other run within the eighth, which results in the primary determination I didn’t love: why use Raisel Iglesias down three runs within the ninth? There was an off day developing, however I’m not enamored with giving Kyle Schwarber a have a look at my nearer without cost.

Once more, the Atlanta bullpen was deep this 12 months. In Recreation 2, Snitker leaned on it. Max Fried seemed exceedingly hittable in 4 innings of labor and bought right into a jam with two on, two out, and Bryce Harper on the plate within the prime of the fourth. Already trailing 3–0 and with Fried visibly struggling, I believe I’d have gone to a reliever in that spot, but it surely’s an in depth determination; Fried is a lefty, Minter was certain to do loads of Harper obligation this sequence, and Hand is nobody’s concept of a certain factor to get Harper out.

After that, the items snapped into place. 5 relievers every pitched one inning, and Snitker discovered that high-leverage spot for Minter in spite of everything; he bought the highest of the Philadelphia lineup with a one-run deficit, then walked Harper to start out the ninth inning, establishing a wild end. This was classic Snitker: a sequence of hammers in an vital sport.

Additionally classic Snitker: a fast punt in Recreation 3. Bryce Elder bought into huge hassle in a rush. With two outs and no person on in a tie sport, issues felt wonderful. Then Philly went single-homer-single-walk and uh oh, issues have been trying awkward. Snitker waved the white flag by sending in Michael Tonkin, who gave up a two-run double to set issues off. The underside of the Atlanta bullpen dealt with the more and more out-of-hand sport. I don’t hate utilizing Tonkin there; Elder bought lit up so early within the sport that the high-leverage arms couldn’t probably deal with the whole remaining quantity of innings. Snitker came upon shortly whether or not this is able to be a sport value enjoying by placing one among his weaker hyperlinks in early. Seems, it wasn’t Atlanta’s day, so he saved some bullpen innings towards a cruising Aaron Nola.

Because it seems, he didn’t do quite a bit with that bullpen flexibility. Strider had no really feel for his slider in Recreation 4, alternately hanging it within the zone and bouncing it in uncompetitive places. He labored by means of 5.2 innings, surrendering three solo homers within the course of, and was clearly off the entire time. The Phillies blistered the ball towards him; it took all types of guile and loads of rising to the event simply to maintain it to that.

The third homer is on Snitker, so far as I’m involved. Strider got here again out for the sixth inning with Atlanta trailing 2–1. Once more, he didn’t have it. It’s not simply the slider meatballs; he’d allowed six hits and three walks already, an especially un-Strider line. In case you defend your bullpen so assiduously in blowout losses, it is best to use them right here! However Snitker caught with Strider, and Nick Castellanos bought on prime of a fastball. It wasn’t arduous to guess what was coming, as Strider threw 16 pitches in his final inning of labor: 14 fastballs, a slider that was nowhere close to the zone, and a changeup towards a lefty. The Phillies knew he was down to 1 pitch. Strider knew he was down to 1 pitch. Snitker needed to have identified, and he ought to have acted.

It wasn’t a banner 12 months for the Braves, no less than in October. It wasn’t Snitker’s greatest work both. He stays head and shoulders above the gang in terms of chopping his losses. This time, although, he missed a number of choices that didn’t fall into the basic fight-or-flight dichotomy. I’m certain that he, like the whole Braves crew, will spend the winter ruing missed probabilities.