What Mets fans are saying about the Braves new coaches

On Wednesday, the Atlanta Braves announced their first two coaching hires following the decision to promote Walt Weiss to manager. Jeremy Hefner will replace Rick Kranitz as the team’s pitching coach, while Antoan Richardson joins the staff as first base coach.

Both hires come with strong reputations and encouraging recent results from their time with the Mets. Hefner was handed an underwhelming group of starters last season, yet through the first half of the year, New York’s rotation ranked among the best in baseball. He even had Braves fans frustrated that the team non-tendered Griffin Canning, who posted numbers well below his career ERA in his lone season with the Mets before going down with an injury.

Richardson, however, might be the real prize of the two. The Mets were successful on 89.1% of their stolen-base attempts last season — a full seven percentage points higher than the next-closest team — while ranking fifth in total steals with 147. Richardson had Juan Soto looking like Rickey Henderson, as the $700 million man swiped 38 bags in 2025 after never recording more than 12 in a season.

The Braves, on the other hand, were among the league’s worst baserunning teams, finishing 26th in stolen bases with just 82. Richardson’s addition should help bring much-needed aggressiveness and efficiency to that part of the game.

But if there’s any lingering doubt about the quality of Wednesday’s hires, just take note of the reaction coming out of New York.