BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
On Monday Night’s edition of 108 Stitches, Baseball Talk, My Co-host Barry Foote and the rest of the crew talked about the amazing turnaround of the Atlanta Braves.
When we attended a Spring Training Game in March, there was a great vibe around Cool TodayPark in North Port. The Braves hired Walt Weiss as their new manager and brought in a new coaching staff. When you’re a new manager and staff, the last thing you’re going to think about is the previous season.
The 2025 season was the 60th in Atlanta and they entered the season as favorites to win the National League East. Unfortunately for Atlanta, the team started 0-7, their worst start since 2016 and were swept by the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
On September 12, the Braves lost to the Astros to guarantee their first losing season since 2017. On September 19, the Braves were eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 2017.
What happened last season?
Injuries and on September 28, the Braves used veteran pitcher Charlie Morton out of the bullpen, becoming the 71st player to appear for the team during the 2025 season.
This set a new major league record by a team for most players used in a single season, surpassing the previous record of 70 set by the 2024 Miami Marlins. The 2025 Baltimore Orioles also matched that record earlier in the season using 70 players.
The Braves also tied the record for most pitchers used in a season, with Morton becoming the 46th pitcher, matching a record set by the 2025 New York Mets on September 17.
The Braves finished the season with a 76-86 record, for fourth place in the NL East.
But despite all of this bad luck, Atlanta drew an average home attendance of 35,841, the eighth highest of all MLB teams.
Manager Brian Snitker retired after the campaign and an era ended.
During our media availability, Weiss had a fresh approach as to how to keep his players healthy as he pointed out that he wasn’t going to run his guys out for 160, plus games. He was going to pick his spots to get these guys off their feet and they’re still going to play a lot, if they’re healthy, 150, plus games.
Atlanta also extended left-handed pitcher Chris Sale through the 2027 season, with a club option for 2028.
To date, the Braves are in first place with a 41-20 record .672 winning percentage. They have scored 320 runs and have allowed 210, a difference of 110.
Atlanta holds a 9.5 game lead over second place Philadelphia.
In this story are the videos we shot in North Port of Weiss and Coach Tony Diaz. There is no question that you’re going to get plenty out of them. Diaz is one of the best baseball minds and specializes in coaching defense.
Matt Olson has appeared in all 61 games and is hitting .265 17 home runs and 46 RBI. Mike Yastrzemski was an off-season pick-up, has played in 55 games, hitting .252 and has been steady. Michael Harris has played in 58 games and is hitting .306 with 13 homers and 37 RBI. This team is built around Ronald Acuna, who has played 47 games, and has seven home runs 21 RBI. When this guy heats up, opposing pitchers will be in trouble.
Sale is earning his money as he’s 8-3 with a 2.02 ERA, 67 innings pitched with 80 strikeouts and 17 walks. Bryce Elder is 5-3, with a 2.63 ERA in 78.2 innings pitched with 67 strikeouts and 23 walks.
But as I mentioned earlier, as long as Weiss focuses on his team’s health and knows when to give his players days off, the team will be fresh all-year and won’t have to worry about how many players will be used. Weiss is certainly looking forward to getting the Braves back to the post-season and should he accomplish that, in his rookie season could win the Manager of the Year.
I got positive vibes in Spring Training and with the exception of the Phillies, it doesn’t appear that the rest of the division competitive enough to even contend, let alone challenge the Braves.
Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@Gmail.com. Check out his broadcasts on the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel. He also wrote a book, “Lessons From The Microphone” which can be purchased at Amazon/Kindle and Barnes & Boble. The audio version also available.
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