NORTH PORT, Fla. (WWSB) – On Tuesday, the Atlanta Braves became the first of the three Major League Baseball (MLB) teams that call the Suncoast home for spring training to have pitchers and catchers report.
Crews were out on the fields during the morning hours to get conditions in tip top shape for a team that’s looking to get back to the postseason.
The Braves missed out on the 2025 playoffs after going 76-86 and finishing in fourth place in the N.L. East division. They made the playoffs the previous six before and won the franchise’s fourth World Series championship in 2021.
They will be led by first-year manager, but a tenured member of the Braves organization, Walt Weiss. Weiss was a shortstop for Atlanta from 1998-2000 and later returned as a coach in 2018 and held the role until the end of 2025 before being promoted to manager.
It will be his second stint as a manager in the MLB. The first came with the Colorado Rockies from 2013-2016.
Weiss spoke to the media on Tuesday and here’s some of what he had to say. “We’re neutralizing some platoon situations here with all of our switch hitters, ”Weiss said. “We can play the matchup game really well.”
All players for the Braves have their first day of practice on Sunday, February 15. The Braves first spring training game on Saturday, February 21 in Port Charlotte against the Tampa Bay Rays.
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