The Braves announced their 2021 coaching staff Friday evening. It’s largely the same group as recent seasons with two tweaks.
Manager Brian Snitker will be in his sixth season at the helm. Snitker’s Braves have won three consecutive National League East titles and made the NL Championship Series last season for the first time in 19 years. Snitker, a close friend and protégé of legendary Braves manager Bobby Cox, is vying to join Cox as the only managers to lead the Atlanta-era Braves to a championship.
Bench coach Walt Weiss, who joined the organization in 2018, is returning. So is hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, who’s been with the team since October 2014. Pitching coach Rick Kranitz will be in his third season with the Braves. First coach and outfield coach Eric Young Sr., who opted out of the 2020 campaign, will continue his role. Young has been with the Braves since 2018.
The beloved Ron Washington is back as third-base coach, a position he’s served since the 2017 season. Catching coach Sal Fasano, another popular member of the staff, is back for his fourth season. Assistant hitting coach Jose Castro will be in his fifth season.
The two changes to the staff were new bullpen coach Drew French and assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes. French, who replaces Marty Reed, was previously with the Astros organization for five seasons. The 36-year-old worked as one of two pitching coaches at Houston’s alternate training site during the truncated 2020 season. French had been a minor-league pitching coach since 2016.
Magallanes will serve a similar role to Castro. He previously was Triple-A Gwinnett’s hitting coach in 2019 and the organization’s assistant hitting coordinator last season. Magallanes also worked for the Angels (nine seasons), White Sox (four seasons) and Indians (four seasons).
