Unlike most assistant coaches who often go unnoticed by fans, the Atlanta Braves have had some of the most notable ones over the last few decades. Older fans will remember Leo Mazzone as one of the most impactful pitching coaches ever during the Bobby Cox era. Hell, new manager Walt Weiss was a fixture as the Braves' bench coach before getting the top job. However, few assistant coaches have ever been as beloved as Ron Washington.
It does seem odd that an old school assistant coach would make such a name for themselves in this day and age, but Washington is different. The Braves' clubhouse loved and missed him and fans found Washington's blunt candor and colorful personality endearing.
With Weiss getting the top job and the Braves filling out most of his coaching staff, the odds that Atlanta would reunite with Washington have gone down exponentially. On Thursday, the door closed completely as Washington got hired by the Giants to be their infield coach.
Former beloved Braves coach Ron Washington lands on his feet after being hired to Giants' coaching staff
Under normal circumstances, Washington would be a leading managerial candidate around the league. However, a major health scare involving his heart forced Washington to step back from his duties managing the Angels and LA opted not to bring him back. There is no doubt that the Braves' players would love getting Wash back and remove the curse he placed on them, but his age and health issues are, objectively, a genuine concern.
As for the Giants, this is a really savvy hiring. They just hired Tony Vitello as their manager and while he was an immensely successful college baseball coach, he doesn't have big league experience. Adding a respected voice like Washington helps Vitello learn on the job and keep the San Francisco clubhouse in good shape while their new manager gets his feet under him.
Just like that, most of the coaching connections other than Weiss are officially not in the picture anymore. This is very much a new era of Braves baseball under Weiss. One just hopes that Atlanta didn't think too much about the future and didn't ignore a key part of their past success.