Gonzalez is taking over for Atlanta’s Bobby Cox, who recently ended a 25-year career with the Braves in which he took his team to the playoffs 16 times and won the World Series once. More importantly, he’s one of the most well-liked managers in baseball history.
Leading a team that just lost its longtime general won’t be an easy task for Gonzalez, who has managed just 555 big league games in his career.
But there might not be a better man for the job.
In an offseason where several prolific managers — Bobby Valentine, Tony LaRussa and Joe Torre, for instance — could be on the market, Atlanta decided to stay away from a big name and go for a guy who is familiar with the players.
Gonzalez served under Cox as the Braves’ third base coach from 2003 to 2006, and got to know several of the players quite well, especially third baseman and clubhouse leader Chipper Jones.
“I texted Chip and said, ‘Hey, get off the couch. Let’s get to work and maybe go down to the Dominican and get 100 at-bats,'” Gonzalez told ajc.com shortly before he was named manager of the Braves on Tuesday.
Not only do the players love him, but Cox also endorses his successor.
“He knows the game of baseball inside-out; he’s got a great personality with players; his communication skills are excellent,” Cox said. “Anything you’d want in a young manager, Fredi possesses. It’ll be an easy transition.”
The Braves are a surging team on the cusp — they’ve improved their record every year since 2008 and they were just one game short of reaching the NLCS this year. Had they brought in a manager like Torre or Valentine, who have established, yet different methods of success, their path to the top of the NL might have been set off course.
By bringing in Gonzalez, Atlanta is essentially trying to replace Cox with, well, a younger version of Cox.
Gonzalez might not be the Braves’ skipper for 25 years, but with the team he is about to overtake, he could experience similar to success to Cox early on.
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