Atlanta Braves Boost Bench Coach Walt Weiss To Manager For 2026

Walt Weiss gets his second chance to manage in the majors at age 61 after his promotion from bench coach in Atlanta. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Getty Images

The Atlanta Braves have voted for continuity.

On the eve of Election Day, the team promoted bench coach Walt Weiss to manager – a seat that has had only four occupants since the club became a perennial title contender in 1991.

Bobby Cox managed the team for 25 years in two stints, including one that included a 14-year streak of consecutive division titles that is still a major-league record.

After Cox retired, Fredi González served from 2010-2016, followed by Brian Snitker from 2016-25 and now Weiss.

Familiarity Helps

The 45th manager in team history, Weiss not only knows Atlanta’s major-league players and minor-league prospects but also shares the mind-set of Alex Anthopoulos, president of baseball operations for the Braves.

Weiss, the former manager of the Colorado Rockies, had been bench coach for Snitker since 2018. He ran the Rockies for four years from 2013-16.

He beat out a half-dozen other candidates, including former Cubs manager David Ross, former Braves infielder Mark DeRosa, Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann, two-time manager Ron Washington, who had been third base coach for the Braves before spending the last two seasons as manager of the Los Angeles Angels.

Both former catcher Eddie Perez and González, who won the NL East as Atlanta manager in 2013, was also under consideration after spending the second half of 2025 as third-base coach under Snitker.

Weiss will be attempting to resurrect a club ravished by injuries and under-performances last year. The Braves, a pre-season divisional title favorite, had won six straight division crowns for Snitker before settling for a wild-card berth in 2024.

Tough Start

Things got worse in 2025, when Atlanta started the season by dropping all seven games on its season-opening road trip to the West Coast.

Playing without former MVP Ronald Acuña, Jr. and erstwhile 20-game winner Spencer Strider, both recuperating from severe injuries, contributed to the poor start.

Eventually, the entire Atlanta starting rotation was sidelined, forcing Snitker to play mix-and-match with a bunch of Not Ready for Prime Time players.

Atlanta stumbled to a fourth-place finish with a 76-86 record, 20 games behind Philadelphia in the NL East and its first losing season since 2017. Both Weiss and Anthopoulos are determined not to let that happen again.

Weiss anticipates the return to good health of Spencer Schwellenbach, Reynaldo Lopez, Strider, and veteran left-hander Chris Sale, winner of the Pitching Triple Crown in 2024.

But he’ll have to find a replacement for Raisel Iglesias, the hard-throwing closer who had a strong second half, and smooth-fielding shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, who followed the pitcher into free agency. The contract of aging DH Marcell Ozuna has also expired.

All three could return if they can agree to contract terms.

A former shortstop, Weiss it .258 in 14 seasons but was best-known for his strong defense. He won National League Rookie of the Year honors with the Rockies in 1988 but finished his career with the Braves in 2000.

Age Difference

At 61, he’s considerably older than the 48-year-old Anthopoulos but the baseball operations chief opted to keep the Cox era going in the team’s field operation.

Snitker’s ear will be an invaluable asset for Weiss as the former manager, approaching age 70, has agreed to stay on as special assistant and advisor to Anthopoulos.

Contract terms for Weiss were not announced by the club, which is likely to retain at least a few members of last year’s coaching staff. It’s even possible that the highly-popular Washington will return if he can’t find another open managing job.