The Atlanta Braves are experiencing one of their worst spells in recent memory.
Joe Maddon, the former Tampa Bay Rays manager, has some advise on how to right the ship.
The Atlanta Braves are in a mess.
They’ve dropped seven of their previous eight games and are barely clinging on to a playoff spot. Manager Brian Snitker needs to decide out what to do quickly.
A well-known former MLB manager shared his opinion on what to do Monday morning.
During his “Cup of Joe” program on MLB Network, three-time manager of the year and 2016 World Series winner Joe Maddon was asked what Snitker might do to halt the bleeding. Maddon stated that Snitker should be true to himself and avoid taking dramatic measures.
“Well, first of all, you got to be the same guy when you walk in the door,” Maddon told reporters. “When things are going well, it’s easy to be the same cheerful go glad person who walks through the door. Everyone is happy. But when things aren’t going well, they want to see the same guy coming through the door.”
The goal here is to demonstrate how you maintain your composure throughout difficult times and reveal who you truly are.
Maddon also stressed communication with the clubhouse’s leaders over other measures such as more workouts.
“He has limited abilities. You don’t perform batting practice, pitching drills, or anything. There can be a lot of one-on-one chats, which is what I believe in, and you try to talk to your lead bulls, the men with the most impact in the clubhouse.”
The rationale for this is that, in his experience, it is more beneficial than trying to talk to everyone in the clubhouse and hoping it changes things.
“To have a manager stand in front of the team in the middle of August and give a speech that’s worthwhile to the players to turn things around – it’s not gonna work that way.”
Maddon handled three teams in his 17 seasons as a manager. Along with leading the Chicago Cubs to a long-awaited World Series and the Tampa Bay Rays to their first American League pennant in 2008, he’s had his fair share of difficult seasons.
He led the Devil Rays to two last-place finishes and went on to have losing seasons with the Rays and the Los Angeles Angels. Even the best managers must weather a few storms before they can reap the benefits of future success.
