Weiss will take over from Brian Snitker, who transitioned into a new role at the end of the season. Christian Petersen / Getty Images

ATLANTA — The Braves’ search for a new manager ultimately ended back inside the organization, as Walt Weiss was promoted to the position Monday after eight seasons as the Braves’ bench coach.

Weiss, 61, is a former shortstop who played 14 MLB seasons, including his final three with Atlanta, earning an All-Star Game nod in 1998. After his playing career, he worked with the Colorado Rockies in an advisory role before earning his first managerial stint in 2012, where he managed the Rockies from 2013-2016.

Nevertheless, the hiring was a bit surprising, though it probably shouldn’t have been — Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos takes pride in having a leak-free front office and said he hoped the media would know nothing before the team made its announcement of Brian Snitker’s replacement.

Mission accomplished.

#Braves Name Walt Weiss as Major League Manager: pic.twitter.com/SOXe5xjst9

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 3, 2025

There had been plenty of speculation that the Braves might go with Los Angeles Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann. The delay in the hiring only increased the chatter that Lehmann was favored for the job and that the Braves were just waiting for the Dodgers to finish the World Series.

Other candidates mentioned more frequently than Weiss included Detroit Tigers bench coach George Lombard, a former Brave, and former Mets bench coach John Gibbons, who stepped down from that job last month and whom Anthopoulos had experience with dating back to their time with the Blue Jays.

But in the end, the Braves went with Weiss, who had stood next to Snitker for most of his near 10-season run as manager. He added some infield-instructor duties to his bench role job after Ron Washington left the Braves to become the Angels’ manager following the 2023 season.

He will be just the fourth Braves manager since 1991, after Hall of Famer Bobby Cox, Fredi González and Snitker, who’ll be inducted into the Braves’ Hall of Fame next year.

Weiss, a native of Tuxedo, N.Y., was a first-round draft pick out of the University of North Carolina in 1985. He won the AL Rookie of the Year in 1988 with Oakland, and was an excellent defensive shortstop throughout his career.

After retiring as a player following the 2000 season, Weiss spent some time out of baseball and moved into a special advisory role with the Rockies before becoming Colorado’s manager, where he posted a 283-365 record in four seasons.

Snitker, 70, retired a few days after the 2025 season and moved into a senior advisory role with the Braves, and it’s safe to assume that Weiss got a strong recommendation from his former boss. Weiss is a friendly sort, but takes no guff and has the respect of the Braves’ roster.

The Braves made seven consecutive postseason appearances, including six division titles before missing the playoffs this year in their second consecutive injury-filled disappointment of a season. Atlanta coaches were told after the season that they should listen to other offers if they got them, since Anthopoulos couldn’t guarantee any jobs until a new manager was hired.

Now, with Weiss in the role, there would appear to be a good chance at least some of the coaches — Eddie Perez among them — would be retained, though the Braves haven’t said anything yet about the makeup of the coaching staff. González returned as third-base coach midway through the 2025 season.

It will be interesting to see if the Braves consider a reunion in some capacity with Washington, who was not brought back to manage the Angels after having quadruple bypass surgery in June 2025. Given his age and health issues, it’s uncertain if that’s an option.

Nov 3, 2025

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David O’Brien is a senior writer covering the Atlanta Braves for The Athletic. He previously covered the Braves for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and covered the Marlins for eight seasons, including the 1997 World Series championship. He is a two-time winner of the NSMA Georgia Sportswriter of the Year award. Follow David on Twitter @DOBrienATL