Any Atlanta Braves fan that has remotely paid attention this season knows that 2025 is not going well. The Braves currently sit with a 27-32 record, 10 games out of the division lead, and 5.5 games out of a playoff spot thanks in large part to an offense that has seemingly forgotten how to hit and a roster that can't get healthy. However, it's beginning to feel like the departure of coach Ron Washington may have actually placed on a curse on this Braves team.
We have discussed Washington and just how important he was to the Braves before and all of those arguments remain true. Washington joined the Braves before the 2017 season and knew all of Atlanta's young core intimately including how to keep them prepared for games and motivate them when it was needed. To the man, everyone with the Braves thought Wash was a godsend during their run of dominance and knew he would be missed.
However, no one probably thought exactly how much Washington would be missed. Not only do the Braves have a completely different energy without him, but the sheer amount of misfortune Atlanta has suffered the last couple of seasons suggest that something almost supernatural is going on.'
Ron Washington's departure continues to haunt the Braves in unexpected ways
The obvious observation here is that Washington kept the Braves' energy and preparation at a very high level. From the moment he was hired by the Angels, the atmosphere in the clubhouse changed. To put it bluntly, Atlanta has not won a division title or even been all that competitive for one since Wash left town despite being universally considered to have among the most talented rosters in all of baseball.
There is more to it than that, though. From 2018 to 2023, Atlanta had largely avoided the injury bug that had plagued the rest of the league. Sure, Ronald Acuña Jr. had knee surgery in 2021, but the Braves still managed to win the World Series without him and for the longest time, it felt like every lottery ticket the Braves bought to fill a void worked out better than expected. Since Washington left, Atlanta can't seem to go a week without some other critical roster piece going on the shelf.
Hell, it almost feels like Washington may have even put a Harry Potter/Defense Against the Dark Arts professor type curse on their third base coach job. Wash sure loved to give some brave green lights at third and they very often worked out. However, Matt Tuiasosopo just got dismissed for some horrid sends home and his replacement, former Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez, did the same in his first game on the job despite it working out in the end.
Seriously, how do send Matt Olson of all runners there unless there is some inverse/evil "Angels in the Outfield" stuff happening?
In all seriousness, there is no curse (probably) and the Braves' problems are the culmination of bad luck, unexpected regression, and a questionable offensive approach. Still, losing Washington matters more than people think even if he (probably) didn't have a Braves voodoo doll that he was poking on his way out the door.