Evaluating Walt Weiss' First Season As Braves Manager

The Atlanta Braves were left scrambling for a successor to former long-time manager Brian Snitker who announced his retirement shortly after a disappointing 2025 season in which the team went 76-86 overall and ultimately snapped their seven-season playoff streak.

General manager Alex Anthopoulos took a big risk during the offseason--handing over the reins to then-bench coach Walt Weiss.

Weiss is no stranger to managing, but the last time he led a major-league clubhouse was with the Colorado Rockies for four seasons until 2016. The Rockies failed to reach the .500 mark under his tenure with Weiss going 75-87 overall to wrap up his Colorado stint.

As a result, Braves fans were understandably skeptical about Anthopoulos' gamble with Weiss' ability to rally a locker room and oversee a bullpen all being in question. However, Atlanta's incredible bounce back to playoff prominence showed just how much Weiss learned in Snitker's shadow.

The team clicked from the get-go, starting off the year with two-straight series wins and finishing May 40-20 overall. Atlanta would also go on to end the first half of the season 55-40, a massive improvement from 42-53 last season.

Although breakouts from key hitters like Drake Baldwin and Matt Olson and continued consistency from ace Chris Sale certainly played a part in the Braves' turnaround, Weiss seems to have brought the magic back to the Braves not only due to his leadership but also his feel for the game.

Weiss' management with reliever Didier Fuentes comes to mind. Even as the 21-year-old out of Colombia struggled earlier in the season, Weiss refused to give up on him and his intuition paid off as Fuentes finished the year with a 2.45 ERA and 92 strikeouts.

Furthermore, Fuentes delivered in Game 2 of the NL Division Series, striking out Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani to help Atlanta avoid a sweep with a 3-2 win at Dodger Stadium. 

There was also pressure to start Sale on short rest that same game. Instead, Weiss preserved the 37-year-old's arm and went to left-hander Ray Kerr who tossed 2.2 scoreless innings and fanned four batters until Grant Holmes took over.

While the Braves' early playoff exit stung, it can simply be chalked up to the offense's usual inability to come through in the bright lights rather than Weiss given that it was an issue under Snitker as well.

As Anthopoulos gets to work this offseason in trying to address Atlanta's starting rotation, the team can rest assured that they have their long-term solution at manager in Weiss.