Yesterday evening, the news broke that Ron Washington had accepted the manager position for the Los Angeles Angels. The Atlanta Braves are saddened by the departure of their third base and infield coach since 2017, especially Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies.
Washington was well known in his time with Atlanta for his extraordinary work ethic and ability to connect with his players. Over the years, Ron Washington had built great relationships with several of his players, but Ozzie Albies and Ron Washington became a fun duo to watch.
After taking close to 24 hours to process this rather sudden move, Ozzie Albies took to Instagram to thank Washington for all of his help and wish him the best down the road. Warning: this post just may make you a little emotional!
Okay, who is cutting onions?
Albies gave credit to Ron Washington for his Gold Glove-caliber defense and persona on the field. As you can tell from the body language of both individuals in all eight pictures included in Albie’s post, these two had a blast together and enjoyed every moment.
During the All-Star festivities in July, Albies gushed over how important Wash was for the infield. He knew exactly how to get them prepared for greatness. Ozzie attributed a lot of their success to Wash stating he was "everything to the whole team".
Ozzie Albies on Ron Washington:
— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) July 11, 2023
1. "To me, Wash is everything to our whole team."
2. "He always prepares us to be the best we can be." pic.twitter.com/Lv9oj6CJlz
We will most certainly miss seeing the interactions between these two in 2024. When a ground ball heads toward the third base coach’s box, Ozzie Albies will no longer have the opportunity to heckle Ron Washington for not taking to his own coaching.
Not just Ozzie Albies but all of Braves country would love to see Ron Washington in the third base coach’s box during the 2024 season. By the same token, all of Braves' Country understands that this is an opportunity Ron Washington rightfully deserves and a goal he has been working towards since he left the Texas Rangers in 2014.
I'm sure every Braves fan agrees with every word of what Ozzie Albies posted when he said “ Braves Country will miss you.”