How Walt Weiss has already won respect from Braves fans (twice)

Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss has been in the organization for the last nine seasons but is in his first season as skipper. We are not even a full month into his first Braves' managerial campaign and he has already won over the clubhouse and the entire fan base by showing his passion for his squad.

Of course the team getting off to a red-hot start this season and currently riding a MLB-best six-game winning streak doesn't hurt. But there have been two separate instances where Weiss has displayed the type of back-bone antics everyone longs to see in their leaders. On Monday night in the Braves' series opener against the Washington Nationals, Weiss secured the respect of everyone involved in the Atlanta organization if he didn't have it already.

Walt Weiss stands up for Ronald Acuña Jr.

It wasn't all unicorns and rainbows for the Braves on Monday when they won their sixth straight game 9-4 over the Nationals. Atlanta fans across the globe held their breath after superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. got hit by a pitch on the hand and eventually exited the game prematurely.

It was reported that X-rays came back negative (for the time being) and feels like removing Acuña from the game was just a precautionary action by Weiss, but the skipper did not forget the fact that his leadoff man had been plunked twice.

After Atlanta rallied to score five runs in the top of the 6th inning and build a comfortable lead, it was time for retaliation. With one out in the bottom half of the frame, Washington's young star CJ Abrams stepped in the box. The first pitch of the at-bat was a Bryce Elder fastball that nailed Abrams on the back side.

Umpires conversed to determine if there was intent by the pitch (which there obviously was) but decided to only issue warnings to both teams instead of ejected Elder, most likely because business was being conducted as it should have been.

This just feels like something Weiss supported to take up for his players. The fact the pitch that hit Abrams was at his back side and no where near the head or anywhere else that would cause serious injury likely avoided an ejection and was proof that it was a simple "Don't mess with us" message.

Reminder: Don't mess with Walt Weiss' players

Earlier this season on a west coast trip, Reynaldo Lopez hit former Braves outfielder Jorge Soler once and followed that with some chin music later in the game which Soler did not find amusing.

Soler like a bull having a red flag waved in his face, charged the mound out of control and went to swinging like Muhammad Ali. Benches cleared and things got a little more physical than most altercations that occur in this new era of baseball.

When it looked like the situation had gotten completely out of control, Walt Weiss came to the rescue. The Braves' skipper got low and executed a textbook tackle to bring down the 6'3 235 lb beast of a man and from there, things calmed down.

This moment made players and even fans realize that Weiss means business and is ready to protect his players at all costs. Starting pitcher Chris Sale showed his appreciation by presenting Weiss with a wine bottle that had the picture of his takedown displayed front and center.

Any questions of how Weiss would be as the Braves manager has been answered convincingly less than a month into the season and fans could not be more excited to see the outcome of 2026 for the Atlanta Braves.

More Atlanta Braves news and analysis:

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow