The Atlanta Braves will interview external candidates Ron Washington and Bud Black for their future managerial opening reports Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
The Braves will interview Ron Washington and Bud Black this week.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) October 3, 2016
Atlanta has interviewed a handful of internal candidates thus far. Interim manager Brian Snitker, bench coach Terry Pendleton, first base coach Eddie Perez, and third base coach Bo Porter have all met with Braves management for the job. Of those candidates, only Snitker and Porter have managed at the big league level (in a small sample size). Washington and Black represent seasoned coaching veterans each with more than 1,000+ games managed at the big league level.
Washington last managed the Texas Rangers from 2007-2014, taking the club to the World Series in 2010 and 2011 (both losses). He resigned from the Rangers organization amid scandal, as Washington admitted to having an extrmarital affair, with reports also alleging he might have been involved in a sexual assault scandal. Washington is currently the third base coach for the Oakland Athletics.
Black last coached the San Diego Padres for nearly a decade, between 2007-2015. He won NL Manager of the Year in 2010. The Padres held a .477 record during Black’s tenure. Black was reportedly offered and rejected the Washington Nationals open managerial spot in 2015 after he thought the organization’s contract offer was too small.
Both are certainly qualified candidates, but the job appears to be Snitker’s to lose. The 60-year-old righted an expected disastrous season in Atlanta, guiding the Braves to a near .500 record (59-65) in his tenure – no small feat. General manager John Hart even admitted hiring a Braves staffer other than Snitker would be tough. Washington and Black are legitimate managers with big league experience, but Snitker deserves a full season behind the Braves bench without the interim tag. Hiring Washington or Black instead, would be a shocking change.
