The Braves don’t normally hold team meetings, but when they do, something good usually follows. In each of the last two seasons, Brian Snitker has called for one, both coming in Arizona.
The first came in 2022, when the Braves found themselves under .500 and facing a deep hole in the division behind the Mets. They went on to have the best record in baseball the rest of the way, chasing down New York from 10.5 games back. Last year, Snitker took the same route after losing three out of four. Holding another team meeting in Arizona in early June, which was followed by the Braves nearly setting a franchise record for wins in a season, racking up 104 victories, just shy of the 1998 Braves, who won 106 games.
This year, the Braves haven’t had such a meeting; well, until today. Per David O’Brien of The Athletic, the team met together just hours ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Reds, something that is not common so close to first pitch.
The team meeting was called by players; Snitker said he was not involved.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) July 23, 2024
This meeting, however, was different than the previous two. It is coming much later in the season as August approaches, but most notably, Brian Snitker was not involved. It was a players-only meeting.
The team meeting was called by players; Snitker said he was not involved.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) July 23, 2024
Players-only meetings can be held for a variety of reasons, but they usually aren’t good. Team chemistry has never been an issue for the Braves in the past, and nothing suggests that’s changed, but there’s no doubt this is a club that desperately needs to re-focus.
The Braves have been plagued by the injury bug since the beginning of the season. Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider are out for the year, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Essentially the entire lineup has hit the IL at one point or another, and most recently, Max Fried and Ozzie Albies were placed on the injured list, with Albies scheduled to miss most of the season due to a fractured wrist.
There aren’t many clubs that can overcome that many injuries from a talent perspective, but it also takes a toll mentally. After losing three out of four to begin the second half of the season, the hope is this players-only meeting can bring back some positive energy to a team that seems to be searching for signs of life. The story of the Braves 2024 campaign has yet to be written, and perhaps that was the message from the guys in the clubhouse.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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