Ozzie Albies: 2026 Braves are a ‘top two’ team I’ve been part of
Some fans and observers have noted the unique feel around the 2026 Braves. They’re next in a lengthy list of competitive Braves teams over the past decade, but they have an aura about them that’s difficult to define.
The players feel the same way. In fact, second baseman Ozzie Albies, who’s been with the club since late in the 2017 season — the last of the club’s rebuild before its reemergence — didn’t shy away from expressing his fondness for this group.
“This team is really special,” Albies said Saturday after his walk-off homer secured a series win over the Brewers. “I’ve been on this team for a long time with a really special group each year. But this one is definitely, I’ll say, one of the top two that I have on the list. It’s a special team, great group of guys. Our staff does anything to prepare us every single day to go and compete.”
Albies clarified that the other team in his top two was the 2021 edition that won the World Series. He also mentioned the 2022 team that was defending its title.
Braves manager Walt Weiss has been with the club since 2018 as bench coach before taking over top duties this season. He was an instrumental part of all these teams, including the 97-win 2019 club and the 2023 team that set numerous records as one of the best offenses in MLB history.
When informed of Albies’ comment, he largely echoed it.
“It means a lot,” Weiss said. “That’s coming from a pretty good source right there. He’s been through it all. Heck, this is my ninth year and Ozzie has been here longer than that. He’s seen it all. That’s a strong statement. We’ve had some really good teams here, but I’d tend to agree with him from where I sit. It’s a special group in a lot of ways.
Weiss continued, explaining how his team’s mental makeup is a separating element. The Braves had lost four of five and endured some rough injury news over the past week before winning two thrillers against the National League Central-leading Brewers, who were also starting their two aces.
“How we’ve responded the last couple of days to a difficult week speaks volumes about what this group is made of,” Weiss said. “Even over the course of the season, any time we’ve had a tough loss, an ugly loss, we always come right back and win and turn it around the right way. You have to do that to have good years. You have to stay away from those long droughts. We just went through one. Those are inevitable.
“If the good teams didn’t have bad stretches, teams would win 120 games every year, and no one’s ever done that. So even the best teams have tough stretches. I just love the way we’ve responded to our tough stretch.”
Since 2018, the Braves have won six division titles and earned two wild-card berths. They missed the postseason in 2025 after myriad injuries and underperformance derailed what appeared to be a strong roster on paper.
It’s looking like that season was a blip on the radar. These Braves have also had to overcome injuries (to numerous key players at different points) and underperformance (third baseman Austin Riley, in particular). But it’s also the clubhouse atmosphere that draws continuously raving reviews.
It’s worth noting that was a necessary ingredient that helped put the 2021 club over the top. That’s not to say other good Braves teams lacked it, but the 2021 team had a distinguishable blend and meshed together in a differentiating way — meaning it carried itself differently, from its confidence to its camaraderie to its selflessness, that created the formula.
These are different players and different characters, but there’s a case that this is the closest team to that one from the sense of defining itself by its clubhouse chemistry and varying ways to win (beyond just talent).
“Look, it’s always different,” Weiss said. “It’s a different group of guys, different personnel. It’s tough comparing those types of things. But as far as all things being equal, the culture in there, it’s really good. I think we’re at the point where these guys don’t want to let each other down, so they play the game hard. They play the game right. I told them that’s the highest level of accountability, when we don’t want to let each other down. I think there’s a lot of that going on right now.”