New Braves manager Walt Weiss: ‘No doubt in my mind I was the best person’

Walt Weiss never doubted he was the right person to become the Braves’ next manager, even if he was unsure he’d be the one chosen.

Weiss, 61, was introduced as the Braves’ manager Tuesday at Truist Park. He spent the past eight years as the team’s bench coach, serving as the right-hand man to Brian Snitker, who transitioned into an advisory role last month.

President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos oversaw an extensive search for Snitker’s replacement that led him back to someone in his own building. Anthopoulos said a conversation Saturday solidified his decision to hire Weiss, who received the phone call Monday while with family in Denver.

And so Weiss becomes the 49th manager in franchise history, but only the fourth since 1990, following Bobby Cox (1990-2010), Fredi Gonzalez (2011-16) and Snitker (2016-25).

ExploreVOTE: Did the Braves make the right hire in choosing Walt Weiss?

“I didn’t know if I was going to be a candidate (after the job opened),” Weiss said Tuesday. “Alex called me and asked if I wanted to be a candidate. I told him I did. Look, if I can say this about myself without it sounding weird: I thought all along, there was no doubt in my mind that I was the best person for this job. I was the best fit for this job.

“And that has nothing to do with who may or may not have interviewed here. It has nothing to do with who the other candidates may or may not have been. It’s just that I know this team like the back of my hand. The relationships in the building, in the clubhouse, are established and deep-rooted. There’s trust that flows back and forth.”

Anthopoulos obviously felt similarly, acknowledging that while there’s benefit to familiarity, “it’s the best person, period.” Weiss’ hiring continues the franchise’s coaching ties to Cox.

Braves Hall of Famer Chipper Jones, Snitker, and current players Spencer Schwellenbach, Jurickson Profar and Drake Baldwin attended Weiss’ introductory news conference. His wife, Terri and four sons — Blake, Brody, Bo and Brock — were also in attendance.

ExploreWhat to know about new Braves manager Walt Weiss

Weiss has managed before, overseeing the Rockies from 2013-16 before stepping away. He credits Snitker and Cox for bringing him back to the Braves organization, where he played from 1998-2000, after a year of focusing on family. Weiss switched his jersey number from No. 4 to No. 22, which is the number he wore as a player here.

While Weiss has filled in for Snitker on occasion — as recently as the second-to-last game this past season after Snitker was ejected because of arguing about a blown call — it’s been nearly a decade since he last sat in the highest chair.

Weiss is much different from his previous managerial stint, by his own admission: “Where were you 12 years ago? If you haven’t become a little wiser, you need to check yourself.”

Indeed, Weiss’ succinctness and attitude drew early applause one news conference in. He knows how little that matters, though. He understands the bottom line. And he knows he’s entering a situation ripe for immediate success.

He’s seen numerous Braves players develop from prospects to All-Stars over his tenure. He’s seen how to manage different personalities, how the clubhouse culture was curated, what the core players have been through to reach their current level. He believes in analytics, ensuring he’ll use every resource available (“You’d be a fool not to evolve with the game,” he said).

Weiss cited his friend Pat Murphy, who was a bench coach in Milwaukee before taking over as manager and helping the Brewers continue their success, and Astros bench-coach-turned-manager Joe Espada as recent examples of seamless transitions.

“That doesn’t mean just because you’re the bench coach you should become the manager,” Weiss said. “Alex has been very thorough during this search, and ultimately, it came back to me. But I do think there’s a lot of advantages to me being here for the last eight years.”

Weiss was never desperate to manage again. He declined potential interview opportunities over the years, including one with Miami, because he appreciated the status quo. The Braves had seven consecutive postseason appearances, six consecutive division titles and the 2021 World Series championship with Weiss on staff.

“We were having a lot of success here,” he said. “I love it here. I loved working for Snit. I love working for all the people in this building. It was going to take a really unique situation for me to leave. I wasn’t going to leave just to go manage. I didn’t know if I was ever going to manage again, and I was OK with that. Nothing was enticing enough for me to leave this.

“Every time Alex re-upped me as a coach, I always sent him a text to say thank you and that I love being a Brave. And I meant that. I’m not just saying that. I played here. Obviously, the last eight years as a coach. This place is different. It’s special. That brand means something. I was in no hurry to leave here. It’d have had to be something really unique to leave here.”

His patience was rewarded. Anthopoulos wouldn’t share how many candidates he interviewed, but the process took several weeks. It dragged out long enough that many presumed any internal candidates were out — including Weiss himself, even as he eagerly waited by the phone Monday.

“I didn’t know where it was going,” he said. “I knew Alex would eventually call me, but I didn’t know what the message would be. I thought it might be, ‘Hey, you’re free to look elsewhere,’ or ‘We’re going in a different direction’ type thing. I had no idea. He works under the cover of darkness, man, and nobody knows what he’s doing. And usually when he comes back up for air, he has some surprises with him. So, no idea what to expect.

“To be honest with you, probably wasn’t expecting this because of the time frame and everything. So I had prepared myself — I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I’d prepared myself that this probably isn’t going to happen. So you can imagine how excited I was when he told me it was going to happen. Me and my wife even shed a tear. I’m not ashamed to say that.”