The Atlanta Braves earned quite a reaction from their fan base with the decision to bring back previous manager Fredi González as third base coach for the rest of 2025. But Braves manager Brian Snitker essentially summarized his feelings around the move in one word.
Excitement.
“Fredi is still a young man. He can still do the physical work, and he brings instance credibility to the situation,” Snitker said before Tuesday’s series opener versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. “He’s got a lot of years under his belt in the job, which isn’t an easy job. Speaking from experience, it’s tough.
“I was really excited when he was excited to accept this position for the rest of the year.”
This will be González’s third tenure with the Braves organization. He spent time at both the minor and major league level with the Braves from 2003-06. González then became Braves manager from 2011-16.
Coincidentally, Snitker was González’s third base coach from 2011-13. Snitker also replaced González as Braves manager when the team parted ways with González early in the 2016 season.
To an outsider, that might seem like an awkward thing for the Braves to do — bring back a previous manager at a time when a team is struggling. But Snitker called González “one of his best friends.”
“I enjoyed my time as his third base coach and the relationship we created then and the trust and the friendship,” Snitker said. “It’s important that you have someone that you can trust because it’s a big job.”
González registered a .512 win percentage as Braves manager from 2011-16. The team made back-to-back postseason appearances in 2012 and 2013. But the Braves went 9-28 under González to begin 2016 before the team replaced him with Snitker.
Snitker referred to replacing González in 2016 as bittersweat. The Braves manager could have used the same word with the parting of previous third base coach Matt Tuiasosopo.
The Braves reassigned Tuiasosopo to a minor league infield coordinator role to make González the new third base coach.
Snitker expressed disappointment that Tuiasosopo, who is one of his former players, didn’t work out as the team’s third base coach. But Snitker said he and the players are pleased that he is staying in the organization.
Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulous announced the team’s change at third base coach Monday night.
“The opportunity to someone like him midseason is rare,” Anthopoulos said. “He wasn’t available in years past, and if he hadn’t been available, I can’t tell you we would have made this move.”
Snitker added he and Anthopoulous both spoke to González about becoming Atlanta’s third base coach on Sunday. Snitker said he talked to González on Monday as well before the announcement.
“It had to be the right person and something that could hit the ground running,” said Anthopoulos.
