The Atlanta Braves have named bench coach Walt Weiss as their 49th manager in franchise history, the team announced Monday afternoon. Weiss, a familiar face in the Atlanta dugout for over a decade between his playing and coaching tenures, steps into the role vacated by Brian Snitker, who retired following a storied eight-year run that included a 2021 World Series championship and six division titles.
The 61-year-old Weiss, who has served as the Braves’ bench coach since 2018, was a natural choice for a front office seeking to maintain the winning culture that propelled Atlanta to consistent contention in the National League East. “Walt’s been an integral part of our success here,” Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said in a statement. “His experience as both a player and coach in this organization, combined with his prior managerial tenure, makes him the perfect fit to lead us forward.” While contract details were not immediately disclosed, Weiss is expected to guide the team starting with Opening Day 2026, as Atlanta eyes a return to the playoffs after a disappointing 2025 campaign marred by injuries.
Weiss’s journey to the Atlanta dugout is one woven deeply into the fabric of Major League Baseball. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 28, 1963, he broke into the big leagues with the Oakland Athletics in 1987, quickly establishing himself as a defensive wizard at shortstop. His breakout came in 1988, when he earned American League Rookie of the Year honors, batting .253 with solid glove work that helped the A’s reach the World Series—though a pivotal error in Game 5 contributed to their defeat against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The following year, Weiss was part of Oakland’s dominant “Bash Brothers” squad that swept the San Francisco Giants in the Fall Classic, contributing a home run in the series-clinching Game 4. Over his 14-year playing career, which spanned the A’s, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies, and Braves, Weiss posted a .258 batting average with 25 home runs and 386 RBIs, earning an All-Star nod in 1998 during his first full season in Atlanta.
Weiss’s ties to the Braves run especially deep. Signing as a free agent in 1997, he became the everyday shortstop and delivered in high-stakes moments, including a game-saving double play in Game 3 of the 1999 NLDS against the Houston Astros that propelled Atlanta to the National League pennant. Though the Braves fell to the New York Yankees in the World Series that year, Weiss retired as an Atlanta player in 2000 after limited action in his final season. Off the field, Atlanta held personal significance: It was there in 1998 that his young son, Jake, battled a life-threatening E. coli infection, an ordeal that strengthened Weiss’s bond with the city.
After hanging up his cleats, Weiss transitioned to coaching, spending time as a special instructor with the Rockies from 2002 to 2009 before a brief stint coaching high school baseball in Colorado. In 2013, he was tabbed to manage the Rockies—a challenging gig in the thin air of Coors Field—where he compiled a 283-365 record over four seasons (.437 winning percentage), with his best mark of 75-87 in 2016. Despite the sub-.500 ledger, Weiss developed young talents like Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story, earning respect for his player development acumen amid Denver’s hitter-friendly confines.
Returning to Atlanta in November 2017 as bench coach under Snitker, Weiss became a steady presence during the Braves’ resurgence. He was part of the staff that captured the 2021 World Series title, contributing to six straight division crowns from 2018 to 2023. His promotion reflects the Braves’ philosophy of promoting from within, a strategy that has yielded success with figures like Snitker himself. As one insider noted, Weiss was “in the conversation from the beginning,” valued for his familiarity with the roster, clubhouse dynamics, and the organization’s high-expectation environment.
“This is home,” Weiss said in a team-released video. “I’ve worn this uniform as a player and coach, and now as manager, I’ll do whatever it takes to bring another championship to Atlanta.” As the hot stove season heats up, all eyes will be on whether Weiss can translate his institutional knowledge into on-field results—or if Braves fans’ early doubts prove prescient.
The promotion caps a whirlwind few weeks since Snitker’s retirement announcement on October 20, signaling the end of an era but the dawn of one rooted in familiarity. For a franchise with 23 division titles and four World Series rings, betting on Walt Weiss feels like less a gamble and more a calculated return to what works.
Mick Lite is a versatile entrepreneur, photographer, and blogger with a huge passion for Music, Sports, Movies, Food, and Gaming. He has worked as an official scorer, social media manager, and photographer for various college, semi pro, and pro sports teams, including the River City Rascals, St. Louis Attack, Missouri Monsters, St. Charles Chill, SLU Billikens, Gateway Steam, St. Louis Riversharks, and Gateway Grizzlies. Served 12 years in the USN/USAF/USN.
