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Atlanta Braves fans have one of the most well-respected coaches in the league, Ron Washington. He's currently the team's third-base coach, having been with the team since 2017.
He's been working closely with Vaughn Grissom this offseason, as the young infielder is set to take over for Dansby Swanson. Swanson became a free agent this winter and inked a deal with the Chicago Cubs.
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Grissom has some big shoes to fill. Swanson was a large part of the team's success, playing in a league-leading 162 games last season.
Washington feels good about heading into the season with Grissom leading the way at shortstop. He's been impressed with Grissom's consistency and drive to put the work in.
"Ron Washington is baseball," one fan tweeted.
"Audio gold!" responded another fan.
Fans love the interaction between the two. It is truly baseball gold, the way Washington works with other players.
Not many around the game of baseball get this much respect across the board. Ron Washington is a great coach with a great baseball mindset.
He got his start as a first-base coach with the Oakland Athletics in 1996 after five years in the New York Mets organization. Washington was depicted in the movie Moneyball, training Scott Hatteberg to play first base and ultimately saving his career. Hatteberg went on to play 6.5 years at first base for Oakland.
Despite missing Swanson, the Atlanta Braves are still the real deal
One player to watch out for in 2023 is Ronald Acuna Jr. He was on an absolute tear this winter playing in the Venezuelan Winter League. Not only did he put up impressive numbers at the plate, but he also won the home run derby.
He struggled a bit as he aggravated a knee injury late in the season but didn't miss much time. He still managed to play in 119 games. With the way he performed in Venezuela, it doesn't look like it's a problem anymore.
Expect other players to keep stepping up for the team as well. Spencer Strider is looking to capitalize on the momentum he created for himself last season. The same could be said for Michael Harris II. Both players took the world by storm last season. Expect more of the same from the two of them again.
Don't sleep on the Atlanta Braves this season. They have the talent and the coaching staff to have another incredible year.
