Brian Snitker Baseball player
Brian Gerald Snitker (born October 17, 1955 in Decatur, Illinois) is the current manager of the Gwinnett Braves. From 2006 to 2013, Snitker served as Atlanta Braves third base coach. He was named to that position on October 3, 2006, replacing Fredi González, who left to join the Florida Marlins as manager. Snitker had previously been manager of the Durham Bulls, Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Greenville Braves, Mississippi Braves and Richmond Braves, all in the Braves farm system. He was also the Braves' bullpen coach in 1985 and 1988-1990. He has been in the Braves organization in many different roles since joining the club as a player in 1977. He played mostly catcher and some first base in the minor leagues.A few of his honors during his fifteen-year run as a minor league manager are winning two championships with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in 1999 and 2000, and in those same years he won the Carolina League Manager of the Year. He is a graduate of the University of New Orleans and is married with two children. He makes his home in Lilburn, Georgia.Snitker was a member of the 1971 Macon, Illinois high school baseball team. The team's surprising run to the state championship tournament was documented in Chris Ballard's 2012 book "One Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season."Fredi Gonzalez was named Braves manager for the 2011 season after Bobby Cox's retirement. Snitker was kept on as third base coach.In the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft, Snitker's son Troy was drafted by the Braves in the 19th round. Troy Snitker was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in March 2013.On October 14, 2013, Snitker was named the manager of the Braves Triple-A club, replacing Randy Ready. Doug Dascenzo was promoted to fill Snitker's former spot.
