ANAHEIM, Calif. — His booming, profanity-laced banter. His unmistakable laugh. The daily confidence-instilling messages he had for players. The gravitas and old-school swagger he exuded. The relentless positivity.
These are things the Atlanta Braves miss in Ron Washington, aka “Wash,” their longtime infield instructor and third-base coach who left after last season to manage the Los Angeles Angels, taking with him first-base coach Eric Young Sr.
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The Braves are playing the Angels in a three-game series that began Friday – Atlanta went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and lost 3-2 — and many Braves players made it a point to seek out and hug Washington on the field before batting practice.
Not the cursory greetings for a coach who left. These were genuine, rigorous hugs, like you might see from close friends or family members who’ve not seen one another in a while.
“It was good to see him, I know that,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker, who stood and chatted with him in front of the visitors dugout for at least 30 minutes, as Washington, 72, made Angels media members wait a good while in the home dugout for their scheduled pregame session with him. “I’m sure he enjoyed seeing all the guys and everything.”
He absolutely did.
Ron Washington has been hugging #Braves players and chatting with Brian Snitker. pic.twitter.com/fJgLGrG6jn
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) August 16, 2024
Washington was more than a coach to Braves infielders. He was a dude who all players relished being around, but also revered.
He was a mentor and father figure to second baseman Ozzie Albies. He was the coach who wasn’t afraid to say what needed to be said to Ronald Acuña Jr., back when the Braves superstar was young and immature.
He’s the man whom third baseman Austin Riley, first baseman Matt Olson and former Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson, among others, credit for taking their defensive games up a notch — or in Riley’s case, a couple of notches.
There’s a reason, Riley pointed out, that the Angels hired Washington as manager despite the fact he was 71 at the time, at least 25-30 years older than most managerial hires these days. He’s unique. He is a master motivator. He walks into a room and his presence commands attention. He had the players’ backs, and man, did they ever have his. They loved Wash. Still do.
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“To me, he’s in his own category,” Riley said. “They don’t make another Wash. They don’t. I mean, it is what it is. But that’s nothing against anybody else. It’s just, that’s it.”
Which is to say, Riley and other Braves who spoke on or off the record weren’t being critical of new third-base coach/infield instructor Matt Tuiasosopo, who was promoted from Triple A to replace Washington. “Tui” has received high marks from Braves infielders and Snitker in his first season as a major-league coach.
It’s just that Washington’s shoes were basically impossible to fill, at least immediately. That’s because of all the intangibles he brings to the table in addition to being regarded as one of the best infield coaches in baseball, if not the best.
“Well, I’ve been around a long time,” Washington said a few hours before Friday’s game. “I’ve been making a difference in this game a long time. I don’t think my leaving made the difference that’s going on (with the Braves). You look at all the injuries they had, because before these injuries came, they were playing well. Look at all the injuries they had, all the replacements they had to replace guys with. It wasn’t even close (to the same level of talent).”
Washington was really getting into our interview now.
He continued, “And then what they did that might have made Olson want to take his game to another level, when he should have been working at the level he was at. That’s what I’m saying. That’s where I came in. I was able to make them understand where you are, and right now you’re not where you think you are. So don’t think where you are, be what you are.
“And the rest of it will take care of itself.”
Braves players aren’t going to say that the team’s struggles this season have anything to do with missing Washington and Young. Because why would they? Even if they believed that, it wouldn’t be fair or helpful to say it, and this is a team that values clubhouse chemistry and having each other’s backs as much as any. The Braves don’t point fingers or roll their eyes or do any of the other things that you might see in the clubhouse of a typical team that’s underperformed.
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But there are Braves fans — a great many, based on social media posts and discussions — who believe the Braves have sorely missed Washington in a season when his gregarious nature and unwavering confidence might’ve been particularly helpful.
“That right there warms my heart,” Washington said when told how much some Braves fans think the team has felt his absence. “Because my whole time in Atlanta — if I ever left, somebody asked me, what would I want them to remember me by. And it’s that I made a difference. And the fans saying that (indicates) I made a difference.
“But that doesn’t stop (the Braves) from being champions because that is imprinted in them, no matter who’s there, no matter who isn’t there. They’re going through some rough times. Champions know how to handle rough times.”
This was the point in our interview when Washington seemed briefly to forget about his struggling Angels team, one that’s been mired in or near the AL West cellar for years and is again this season. They, too, have battled injuries all season to some of their key players including superstar Mike Trout (again).
For a minute or two, Washington sounded like he was spreading his message again to Braves infielders and the rest of the team, as he did for the previous seven seasons in Atlanta. Pumping them up.
“There’s such a thing as presence and performance, and I’ve always told Riley and Olson and (Marcell) Ozuna and (Orlando) Arcia and all those guys, your presence is more important than your performance,” Washington said. “Because in this game, sometimes you’re not going to perform. But when you are there doing what it takes to be successful, that helps everyone to bring the game to another level. That’s your presence.”
Don’t you see, he seemed to be saying. It’s fundamental. It’s essential. What sets you apart.
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“So don’t ever forget you have presence,” he said, “even though you may not be performing.”
Washington has formed an opinion from afar about the Braves’ injury-plagued season.
“I just think sometimes they try too hard,” he said. “And I think that’s what I brought. I brought that calmness to them and understanding what’s going on. And Tui is gonna get there one day. He’s going to get there one day. And the first base coach (Tom Goodwin), he’s been a big-league coach before, but I don’t know if he exerted himself like I exerted myself on their will. You see what I’m saying? So, they might miss that.
“But I constantly told them, y’all are champs, man. No matter who’s (in the lineup), y’all are champs. And don’t forget that.”
He has stayed in frequent contact with Albies, who’s on the 60-day injured list with a fractured left wrist and is expected back by mid-September. Albies made the three-city trip the Braves are on in part — or entirely, Riley teased — so he could see Washington. Albies has missed significant time due to injuries in three of the past five seasons.
“I just talk to him, I always make him understand that no matter what he’s going through, he’s a champ,” Washington said of his texts and calls with the plucky second baseman. “So you go through your rehab like a champ, and you go through your rehab wanting to get back to help your boys. Don’t get down on it, because it wasn’t something you had control of. You know what I mean? If something happened while he was playing the game the best he could, you shouldn’t be down about that.
“Now, if something happened that you caused, now you can get down. But if you didn’t cause it, don’t get down, work hard to get back to the boys. That’s all I told him.”
Albies, 27, already has dealt with more fractured bones and serious injuries than most players endure in a long career.
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“Yes, he has,” Washington said. “And I hope this is the last one. Because you can tell the guys miss him. The guys miss Ronald. The pitching staff misses (Spencer) Strider. They already missed (Max) Fried a little bit. (Sean) Murphy was down a lot. They’re just missing the players that make things go.”
He was back in Braves coach mode, as if motivating his players. Or the players who used to be his.
“They got enough left that they can hold it afloat,” Washington said of the Braves. “I hear people saying that they’re playing their way out of playoff contention. No, not that group over there.”
(Photo of Logan O’Hoppe and Ron Washington celebrating O’Hoppe’s two-run homer against the Braves: Orlando Ramirez / Getty Images)
David O'Brien is a senior writer covering the Atlanta Braves for The Athletic. He previously covered the Braves for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and covered the Marlins for eight seasons, including the 1997 World Series championship. He is a two-time winner of the NSMA Georgia Sportswriter of the Year award. Follow David on Twitter @DOBrienATL
