Walt Weiss Made Strong Case for 2026 Manager of the Year

Atlanta Braves Manager Walt Weiss finished in the pecking order for National League Manager of the Year. This was in a year in which each of the nominees had a strong but different case to take home the Award. Philadelphia Phillies interim Manager Don Mattingly took a team that was multiple games below .500 and looked dead in the water to a postseason berth. Milwaukee Brewers Manager Pat Murphy has made a habit of taking home hardware. He not only has won this award the past two seasons; he also won the 2026 World Series. That’s some pretty stiff competition. A Shadow of a Doubt Walt Weiss took over f or Brian Snitker, who retired after the 2025 season after serving as Snitker’s bench coach for several years. Before taking the helm at the beginning of the season, there was some doubt that Weiss would be successful as the head man. He had an underwhelming tenure as the Colorado Rockies manager, where his winning percentage was well below .500, and he eventually resigned. Weiss had an illustrious playing career. He came up with the Oakland Athletics in 1988 and promptly won American League Rookie of the Year. His career spanned more than 10 years, and he finished it with an All-Star invite in a Braves uniform. After his ill-fated tenure as the Rockies skipper, he returned to serve as the Braves bench coach in 2018. He had an up-close and personal look at the heartbreak of defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020, before defeating the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series and the Houston Astros the very next year on the road to capturing a World Series ring the very next year. Behind the Eight Ball The skipper faced choppy waters even before the season started. The Braves’ starting rotation took blow after blow during Spring Training. Spencer Strider , Hurston Waldrep, and Joey Wentz all suffered injuries. Not to mention losing Ronald Acuna for a significant portion of the season. To make matters worse, Jurickson Profar was suspended for PED use. But despite the adversity, the Braves managed to win early and often in 2026. They withstood a hard charge from their division rival from Philadelphia and won another NL East Division Title. The seventh one in nine years. He led the club to 94 wins and a Division Series berth against the defending World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. This came after the Braves managed just a total of 76 wins in 2025. If that wasn’t enough, the skipper has his players’ endorsement. Speaking after their Division Series loss, Mauricio Dubon said, “If he doesn’t win Manager of the Year, I don’t know…what …we’re looking at. I mean, he grabbed a bunch of misfits and turned them into NLDS…Walt is one of the reasons we’re here.” Walt Weiss Proved He’s the Right Man for the Job The Manager of the Year Award is voted on before the postseason starts, so the body of work is exempt from the Division loss to the Dodgers. But regardless of whether Walt Weiss won the NL Manager of the Year or not, he has proven that the job is not too big for him. Moreover, he was able to succeed, despite the unexpected and unavoidable setbacks beyond his control. Imagine what Weiss could do with a totally healthy roster. The Braves could be a perennial power in the years to come. To that end, the Braves’ brass has already announced that the entire coaching staff will return in 2o27. The rest of the league should be on notice that the Braves aren’t going anywhere anytime soon under Weiss and company. Main Photo Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images More Baseball News: White Sox’s Will Venable Named AL Manager of the Year After Successful Season Kevin Cash’s 2026 Season Should Be Recognized Brewers Pat Murphy Wins Third Straight NL Manager of the Year Award