Atlanta Braves Managers

The Atlanta Braves have been one of my favorite teams since I was a kid. 

Growing up in the 90s, my family and I consistently tuned in to TBS to watch games during the season. 

The team had many stars on the roster in the 90s and they always seemed to be in the postseason.

Leading these memorable teams was Bobby Cox, the Braves' longtime skipper. 

Cox is just one of a long line of managers to pilot the Braves since they moved to Atlanta back in 1966.

This article explores the careers of these men. 

In particular, it highlights all Atlanta Braves managers and gives some interesting facts about those who served in the role. 

List of All Managers of the Atlanta Braves

The following shows each person to serve as manager of the Atlanta Braves since 1966 (their first season in Georgia), and the seasons they were manager. 

1. Bobby Bragan, 1966

2. Billy Hitchcock, 1966 - 1967

3. Lum Harris, 1968 - 1972

4. Eddie Mathews, 1972 - 1974

5. Clyde King, 1974 - 1975

6. Connie Ryan, 1975

7. Dave Bristol, 1976 - 1977, 1977 - 1978

8. Ted Turner, 1977 (1 game)

9. Vern Benson, 1977 (1 game)

10. Bobby Cox, 1978 - 1981, 1990 - 2010

11. Joe Torre, 1982 - 1984

12. Eddie Haas, 1985

13. Bobby Wine, 1985

14. Chuck Tanner, 1986 - 1988

15. Russ Nixon, 1988 - 1990

16. Fredi González, 2011 - 2016

17. Brian Snitker, 2016 to current

 

10 Unique Facts About Atlanta Braves Managers

Who was the first person to serve as manager of the Atlanta Braves?

The first person to manage the Braves after they relocated to Atlanta was Bobby Bragan.

Bragan led the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1956 and 1957, the Cleveland Indians in 1958, the Milwaukee Braves from 1963 to 1965, and then into 1966 when the franchise moved down south.

He had the job through August of 1966, when he was replaced by Billy Hitchcock. 

Which former Braves manager has the most games managed? 

Bobby Cox is unique in that he was hired to lead the Braves not once, but two times. The first came in 1978 when Cox was just 37 years old. 

He went on to lead the Braves through 1981, then he took the helm of the Toronto Blue Jays from 1982 - 1985. 

Cox returned to lead the Braves for the 1990 season, and he stayed on through the end of the 2010 season. 

Over the course of his two stints as Atlanta's manager, Bobby Cox managed 3,860 games for the Braves - more by far than any other manager in team history.

Which former manager has the least number of games managed?

A few months into the 1977 season, with the Braves slumping, owner Ted Turner essentially exiled manager Dave Bristol (without firing him) and became manager himself.

Turner managed one game, a loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Commissioner then informed Turner that an owner couldn't manage, so the reigns got passed to third base coach Vern Benson.

So Benson managed the next game, which turned out to be a Braves win in Pittsburgh.

After that, regular manager Dave Bristol was reinstated by Turner.

That's how Ted Turner and Vern Benson share the record of least games managed by any Atlanta Braves manager, with one game each.

Which Atlanta Braves manager has the most total wins?

The manager that has won the most games in Braves history is the same person to have managed the most Braves games - none other than Bobby Cox.

During his 25 seasons leading Los Bravos, Cox won approximately 2,149 games against only 1,709 losses (.557 winning percentage).

The Atlanta manager with the second most wins? None other than current skipper Brian Snitker. 

Which former Braves manager has the most playoff wins?

Bobby Cox was a successful skipper and was around for a long time, so not surprisingly he has the most playoff wins of all Atlanta Braves managers with 64 wins.

Second is Brian Snitker with 22 playoff wins through the 2022 season.

Which former manager has the most losses while leading the Braves?

Due to his longevity in the role, Bobby Cox also owns the distinction of most losses by a Braves manager with 1,709 losses.

How many managers of the Atlanta Braves have won a World Series title?

The Braves have won a World Series championship twice since they’ve been in Atlanta. Those titles came in 1995 and 2021. 

The man at the helm during the 1995 Series was Bobby Cox, and Brian Snitker led the Braves to the 2021 Series title.

Who was manager when Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run?

Eddie Mathews was the Atlanta manager when Hank Aaron hit his famous 715th home run to surpass Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record. 

The famous homer occurred on April 8, 1974 at Fulton County Stadium off of Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing.

Mathews continued to lead the Braves that season until he was let go in late July and replaced with Clyde King.

Which Braves managers were former MLB players?

There have been 17 men to serve as manager of the Atlanta Braves since 1966, the vast majority of whom played in the major leagues. 

In fact, only four managers did not play in the MLB. The four without big league playing experience are Dave Bristol, Ted Turner, Fredi Gonzalez and current Braves skipper Brian Snitker.

The remaining 13 have MLB playing time.

Are any former managers of the Atlanta Braves in the Hall of Fame?

Three men who served as an Atlanta Braves manager are currently enshrined in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. 

The three are Bobby Cox, Joe Torre, and Eddie Mathews.

Bobby Cox was inducted for his accomplishments while manager of the Braves, while Torre got the call to the Hall primarily for his tenure leading the New York Yankees in the 90s and early 2000s.

Eddie Mathews, on the other hand, was inducted for his performance as a player. The former Milwaukee Braves star was an excellent third baseman, and Mathews is also one of the few MLB players to have hit 500 or more career home runs.

That's A Wrap!

We hope you enjoyed this article and learned something from it!

If you have questions or comments, we'd love for you to get in touch with us.

Thanks for stopping by Catchers Home.