The Atlanta Braves have announced their finalized coaching staff for the 2026 season. Manager Walt Weiss will lead a staff of 10 coaches, eight of whom are new. Tim Hyers and Eddie Perez are the two who are sticking around.
Hyers stays on as the hitting coach for his second season with the franchise. Eddie Perez, who has been on the coaching staff since Bobby Cox was the manager, will remain a Major League coach.
A recent hire has switched up some of the initial plans for the coaching staff. Tony Mansolino was initially hired to be the third-base coach. He’s now taking over Weiss’s former role as bench coach. Tommy Watkins is coming over from the Twins organization to be the new third-base coach instead.
Dustin Garneau has been hired to be the bullpen coach. Darnell Coles will join as an assistant hitting coach, and Tony Diaz joins as a Major League coach.
Jeremy Hefner will serve as the pitching coach, and Antoan Richardson will serve as the first base coach. Both came over from the Mets. JP Martinez will serve as the Major League bullpen coach.
Weiss was promoted from bullpen coach, a role he had held since 2018, to manager last week. By this point, he and Perez are the remaining members of the 2021 World Series staff. Others, such as Rick Kranitz, were let go during the recent changes.
It’s a new era full of new faces on the coaching side around the clubhouse. Following the retirement of Brian Snitker last month, the Braves took the chance to have as nearly a clean of a slate as possible.
The Braves finished 76-86 and seven games back of a postseason spot in the final season under Snitker. It was the first time since 2017 that they finished under .500, and the first time since that same year that they missed the postseason
Along with changes to the coaching staff, we could be set to see more new faces on the roster as well. Marcell Ozuna and Raisel Iglesias are unrestricted free agents due to expiring contracts. Pierce Johnson and Tyler Kinley had their options declined. That being said, Johnson was the only one of the two who had been around long-term.
Chris Sale and Ozzie Albies have had their options picked up, so they’re likely to be around next season. The Braves are expected to increase payroll this offseason, potentially giving the new coaching staff more firepower to work with.
