American professional baseball coach and former player Brian Gerald Snitker was born on October 17, 1955, and he currently serves as manager of the Major League Baseball (MLB) Atlanta Braves. Since participating in the Braves’ minor league system from 1977 to 1980, Snitker has held a variety of positions within the organisation. In 2016, he was appointed manager. Snitker guided the Braves to a World Series victory in 2021.
Richard F. Snitker and Catherine (Collins) Snitker of Decatur, Illinois, were Snitker’s parents.[1] Born in Macon, Illinois, he attended Macon High School [2] and was a member of the 1971 baseball team in the right field position.The team’s unexpected journey to the state championship tournament was chronicled in One Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season, written by Chris Ballard in 2012.[4][5]
In a 2018 interview, Snitker discussed his childhood involvement in American Legion Baseball, saying that it “gave me the platform to be seen because there are always scouts at American Legion games.” It significantly influenced my growth as a player and gave me an advantage in my professional career.”
In 1975, Snitker participated in two junior college basketball seasons for Lincoln College. He was a second team All-State player and catcher for the Lynx baseball team. He played two seasons at the University of New Orleans to round out his undergraduate career.[7]
The Chicago Cubs selected Snitker in the 25th round of the MLB draft after he had an injury-shortened junior season at the University of New Orleans. In 1977, he decided to sign a free-agent contract with the Braves organisation after choosing to return to UNO for his last season.[8] Snitker played catcher and occasionally first base while bouncing about the minor league ranks. In 780 at-bats, he registered a slash line of.254/.316/.390. He also hit 23 home runs.
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