Walt Weiss is proving he was always right choice for the Braves

The Braves have long known what much of the nation learned during last week’s brawl: Walt Weiss is one tough son of a — sorry, not the place for that.

It is, however, an appropriate time to ask Braves players: When did you first realize Weiss was about that?

Outfielder Michael Harris II learned quickly.

“I don’t know when it was, but I walked in the weight room one day and he had 100-pound dumbbells with ease doing bench press. I think that was the day I figured it out,” Harris said. “I heard he was into the UFC and wrestling, taekwondo and stuff, so that was probably the first day I realized he was like that.”

First baseman Matt Olson recalled a similar introduction.

“I think the first moment was probably when I saw him in the weight room. He gets after it in there,” Olson said. “He’s not doing a middle-aged man band workout. He’s squatting, he’s benching, pullups, everything. That’s where you take a second glance.

“You can’t hide the fighter’s ears — you see a guy like that, you know that’s somebody you don’t want to mess with.”

Second baseman Ozzie Albies put it succinctly: “Since Day 1, man. Since the day I met him.”

Indeed, Braves president of baseball operations and general manager Alex Anthopoulos could have staged a Royal Rumble match among his managerial candidates last fall and Weiss would have wound up in the same seat.

“Just the physical appearance — he’s got, like, two softballs that sit right there by his elbow,” third baseman Austin Riley said. “His forearms are so big. And just seeing him in the weight room. I think in ’19 when I first got called up, there was some altercation with (Josh) Donaldson out on the field, pitcher threw to him, and Walt was the first one out there.

“You could just see it. Just that and what he does in the weight room, you can tell he’s one of those guys you don’t want to mess with.”

If that was a secret, it isn’t anymore.

Weiss made national news last week in Anaheim when, amid a ruckus, he lunged forward to tackle friend-turned-foe Jorge Soler, a mammoth of a man most would be wise to avoid. The two have a history from Soler’s fruitful time with the Braves, which included Soler winning 2021 World Series MVP, so there were no hard feelings.

But there were gasps. There were laughs. There were T-shirts and other printed memorabilia. And there were memes. Lord, there were memes.

It reached a point even the Falcons’ social media team chimed in with a joke about the franchise signing Weiss (humor aside, he couldn’t be much less productive than most of the pass rushers they’ve employed the past decade).

“He tackles one of the bigger dudes in the league — Soler is an absolute giant — and takes him down, I think at that point the whole world is gonna know how tough he is,” Riley said.

The Braves downplayed the moment, noting he was essentially a buffer for Soler, pushing him out of the melee. But his players got a hoot out of the whole thing. How could they not? Their 62-year-old manager delivered a Bill Goldberg-style spear in the infield.

In fact, Goldberg and Weiss are longtime friends, and he was among the many who reached out after the ordeal.

“I got to know him when I played here, and he was on top of the world,” Weiss said of Goldberg, a Georgia product. “That was in his heyday, WWE. We exchanged some text messages. We’ve kept in touch from time to time. That’s one of the cooler ones I’ve texted with.”

Some fans might have been aware of Weiss’ martial arts pedigree before he grounded Soler. It’s one of many traits the Braves long admired about their new commander. He sets a tone that few managers can match. He was an All-Star player. He’s honest, always willing to explain decisions.

The toughness helps, too.

“How I grew up, I think that was a thing,” Weiss said. “My dad was a pretty tough guy. I probably didn’t know it at the time, but looking back, it was probably part of the culture of where I grew up.”

All this has made it easier connecting with players as a coach. There’s a reason the clubhouse was euphoric upon Weiss’ promotion from bench coach to manager last November.

“He’s known a lot of the guys who are in here,” Harris said. “He knows the history of the organization, and he’s kept that in order. He was here when they won the World Series, so he obviously knows how to win.”

Remember: Weiss had opportunities to pursue managerial positions over the years. He declined them. He preferred being Brian Snitker’s right-hand man. Weiss has always been self-aware; his first contract as Rockies manager in 2013 was a one-year pact, an extremely rare circumstance that he OK’d because he wasn’t sure how he’d take to managing.

Weiss lasted four seasons in Colorado, but he was undone by a barren roster and organizational dysfunction. That’s why he blissfully accepted the status quo in Atlanta. He didn’t want to risk enduring another Rockies-esque plight.

The Braves’ stability and how the franchise operates helped Weiss resist outside allure. And his restraint — patience that understandably few exhibit — led to him overseeing a Braves clubhouse that already held him in utmost esteem.

“He’s a very loyal man,” Riley said. “I’ve never been anywhere else, but guys who come in here love it here and enjoy coming to the yard every day. I know that’s not always the case other places. I think that has a lot to do with it. … Now he’s being rewarded for it, and we’re off to a good start.”

A clubhouse doesn’t provide reverence as charity. Many a manager has been doomed because he couldn’t get buy-in. Weiss already earned that before he took the mantle, which is why this was a seamless transition that’s yielded immediate success.

The Braves’ clubhouse leaders have expressed, whether publicly or privately, that Weiss was long their preference (Riley: “He was my pick from the beginning.”). It’s easy to say now, but it’s also believable. Weiss had built years of equity with the team’s core.

“It’s a culmination of everything with him,” Olson said. “The fact that we did know him, that we knew the kind of player that he was — a grinder, scrappy guy. And then the way he carries himself. You definitely want to have that respect for the guy. There’s not a guy in here who doesn’t respect Walt.”

Some managers invite respect. Weiss demands it. And it hasn’t taken him long to illustrate how.