There is a lot of finger-pointing going on during the Atlanta Braves' rough start to the 2025 season. Some are blaming the front office for not doing enough to reinforce the roster during the offseason while other popular targets being Jurickson Profar (strong candidate), Matt Olson, Chris Sale, and the entire Braves bullpen. Others still make the argument that the Braves have let too many key players leave in free agency and that loss of production and veteran leadership is the root cause of the team's problems.
The latter idea isn't without merit. Over the last several years, the Braves have lost Dansby Swanson, Freddie Freeman, and Max Fried among others. All were among the best players at their positions when they were with the Braves and all had a reputation as strong clubhouse influences.
However, the biggest departure and the one that might be having the greatest impact right now is one few Braves fans are thinking about right now. As soon as coach Ron Washington left the Braves, everything changed.
Losing Ron Washington as the Braves' anchor may be the root cause of their current struggles
In baseball, coaches below the manager seat typically don't get noticed much. There are exceptions such as former Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone, but assistant coaches generally don't get attention and fly under the radar. Washington was different. Fans loved him, the front office respected him enough to hire him even after passing him over for manager, and the players ate everything he said up most importantly.
Washington is arguably the best in the game at keeping a clubhouse's energy and focus up over a long season. He is well-known for his personal infield drills and he preaches the fundamentals with repetition that doesn't turn off veterans or overwhelm rookies. In short, Washington is the rare assistant coach who has a significant impact on whichever team he coaches. As hard as it is to admit, there is just no replacing Wash and the Braves know it.
Now, Washington made his way back to being a big league manager with the Angels. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the Angels look like they are turning things around under Wash and are defying the odds being in first place in the AL West right now. Last year saw Wash dishing out a lot of tough love, but LA's roster has responded overwhelmingly positively to it and are seeing the benefits now.
Unfortunately, there is no easy fix for Washington's absence from the Braves. He deserved an opportunity to manage a team and Brian Snitker isn't going anywhere until he decides to hang it up. It is on the players to prepare and compete at the same level or higher without Washington around to keep them on track. This is a pretty seasoned group of players at this point and they know what they need to do, but figuring out how to do that effectively may take some time without Wash around.