The Warriors have a new manager, and they hired it internally. The club today announced Walter Weiss as the club’s new captain. Weiss has served as the club’s bench coach for several years, but now has the opportunity to take on a more prominent role.
Weiss, 61, played in the major leagues from 1987 to 2000. He spent the final three seasons of his career in Atlanta. After retiring, he held other positions with the Rockies, first serving as a special advisor to the front office. He then served as Colorado’s head coach starting in 2013 and served as captain for four years. The club had a losing record in each of those four seasons, with between 66 and 75 wins each time, until Weiss resigned.
Entering the 2018 season, Atlanta hired Weiss into a bench coaching position as head coach Brian Snitker’s deputy. In fact, it was reported just a few days ago that Alex Anthopoulos would become the club’s new front office leader. Atlanta has been rebuilding over the past few years, but they emerged as a contender during the 2018 season. They went 90-72, the first of what would eventually be six consecutive National League East Division titles. They won the World Series in 2021.
The Marlins reportedly had interest in Weiss for the managerial job opening after the 2022 season, but he declined an interview request. He stayed in Atlanta and continued working under Snitker. About a month ago, just before his 70th birthday, Snitt announced that he would not return as head coach. The club has been very cautious in its search for a head coach, which has largely led to speculation about who might replace Snitker.
Weiss is now tasked with turning the club around after a difficult period. After the aforementioned six-peat, they slipped to second place last year and earned a wild card berth. In 2025, their record dropped all the way to 76 games, ranking them fourth.
Expectations will continue to be high as there is still a lot of talent on the roster. Poor results in 2025 involving multiple major injuries and PED suspensions Jurikson Profal. The club still has a core Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Chris Sale and many others. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is certainly supportive of the club returning to normalcy in 2026.
Anthopoulos must have gotten to know Wes well over the past eight years and sees him as the man to lead the club back to glory. Whether Weiss will shake up the coaching staff remains to be seen, but hiring a new bench coach to replace him should be on the to-do list.
Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images
