The Atlanta Braves hired Walt Weiss as their new manager for the 2026 MLB season. The 62-year-old will attempt to replace Brian Snitker, who was extremely respected in Atlanta. The good news is that Weiss received the opportunity to learn alongside Snitker, as he served as the team's bench coach from 2018-2025. He also has previous MLB experience as a manager, as he coached the Colorado Rockies from 2013-2016.

The Braves know who Walt Weiss is. The players have been around him for years. During a recent interview, both Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley shared their thoughts on Weiss landing the new manager job in Atlanta, via the Braves.

"I was excited," Riley said. "If we were going to stay in house, that was who I wanted it to be. Walt, he's a very quiet guy, but about as professional as they come. I think people are gonna get to see it this year, was how knowledgeable he is of the game. Like, he's a student of the game."

Riley also mentioned that while he believes Weiss will bring old-school managing tactics to the Braves as the head coach, the 62-year-old will also lean into the new-school and trust analytics as well. The third baseman thinks Weiss is open to the balance of both.

"Same, I mean like Riley said, he's a really quiet guy, really professional," Albies said. "You know, he knows the game."

Albies then explained that players can go to Weiss and ask about certain plays during the game and he will provide a knowledgeable response. 

"It's gonna be great, he's a great fit," Albies added. "And we all on the team like him."

As the players mentioned, Weiss will offer a professional approach to the game. One has to imagine he learned a lot about coaching from Snitker. Weiss may have different gameplans and strategies than his time in Colorado. 

Weiss played in MLB as a shortstop from 1987-2000, spending time with the Oakland Athletics (now Athletics), Florida Marlins (now Miami Marlins), Rockies and the Braves. His only All-Star selection came in 1998 with Atlanta, as he hit .280 with a .729 OPS that season. Weiss also won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1988 with the Athletics. 

He was not a power hitter -- Weiss recorded 25 total home runs in his big league career -- but he had good bat-to-ball skills, rarely struck out and got on base at a respectable rate. 

Shortstops are often leaders on teams as well. Perhaps Weiss' leadership prowess stemmed from his time playing the position.

He seems to already have the respect of the Braves players. As Albies said, the players like him. That's important to say the least. The players already being familiar with him will only help the ball club in 2026.