'One of the Greatest Leaders': How Bobby Cox Left a Lasting Impression on His Players

LOS ANGELES — On Sept. 1, 2010, Freddie Freeman saw his name in the Braves lineup, batting sixth, and almost threw up. It was the 20-year-old’s first game as a big-leaguer, and he was sitting at his locker, staring forward, nervous as could be. Bobby Cox, who was in the last of his 29 seasons as a Hall of Fame manager, walked by with a few words to ease the tension and calm the rookie down. "He goes, ‘Gosh dang it, Free, what took you so long to get here to the big leagues?’" Freeman recalled Saturday before facing his former team, reflecting on the life of his first Major League manager. "He said some other choice words, but all the nerves immediately went away, just because of how he went about it." Cox, who died Saturday at the age of 84, leaves a legacy not only as one of baseball’s most successful managers — he won the fourth-most games in MLB history and 14 straight division titles with the Braves — but also as a galvanizing force who always had his players’ backs. "He was one of the greatest leaders I’d ever been around," said Braves manager Walt Weiss, who played for Cox in the late 90s. "He was the best I’d ever been around at creating loyalty amongst the group. It was the way he treated people, the way he encouraged guys. Bobby always made you feel like you were playing better than you actually were." Weiss, who was an All-Star player in his first year with the Braves in 1998, will also never forget how Cox let him take as much time as he needed that season when his son was suddenly hospitalized with a life-threatening bacterial infection. "Bobby told me to go be with my family and come back wherever I wanted," Weiss told me in the Braves' dugout. "There was never any pressure to come back. I think I was gone for about a week or so. Bobby was always looking out for you. It always felt like he was in your corner." That remained the case decades later. Weiss, who’s in his first season as Braves manager, was the Rockies’ skipper from 2013 to 2016 before joining Atlanta as Brian Snitker’s bench coach in 2018. It was Cox who brought Weiss’ name up to Snitker. "I’m forever grateful to Bobby," Weiss said. The devotion Cox felt toward his players is perhaps evidenced most by his 162 career ejections, the most in MLB history. Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson, who grew up in Georgia watching the Braves, remembered those well. "As a kid going to a baseball game, it gets the crowd going," Olson, 32, said from the Braves' clubhouse. "I’d always be there rooting him on to go out." Dodgers first-base coach Chris Woodward was on the field for one such occasion. Woodward only played one season for the Braves in 2007, but even in that short time felt Cox’s unwavering support. He shared a story with Freeman about a time when he turned a double play, but the umpire called the runner safe at second. Cox ran onto the field and quickly asked Woodward if he touched second base. "Woody goes, ‘Yes, I did,’" Freeman relayed. "So, we all knew what Bobby did after that." After finding out the news of Cox’s passing, tributes flooded in from his former players. Andruw Jones even referred to Cox as a second father. Freeman reached out to Snitker, asking his old Braves manager to pass on to Cox’s family how he was thinking of them. Freeman only played one season for Cox, but in the years that followed, he often heard from coaches and writers about how much Cox cared about him and believed in him. He saw it, too, based on the copious number of at-bats Cox gave him in his first big-league spring training. "He cared about a 19-year-old and a 40-year-old the exact same way," Freeman said. "That’s what's special, and that’s why everyone loved him." Through Cox, Freeman learned quickly about "The Braves Way." Even after his 12 years in Atlanta, it’s still engraved in him. "You’re wearing your uniform to batting practice, buttoned down, hat’s always forward," Freeman explained. In Atlanta, he would wear the sunglasses on the back of his hat because he was proud of the "A" on the front and didn’t want to block it. Now with the Dodgers, he won’t wear his glasses over the "LA" on his hat. "That’s Bobby," Freeman said. "Bobby’s still in me. Just a wonderful man that teaches you lessons, teaches you camaraderie, unity, doing things as a unit, no one’s different. That’s how I came up, and that’s what Bobby taught over there, and I appreciate it still to this day." When Cox’s tenure as Braves manager ended, he remained in an advisory role in the seasons to follow. Weiss felt fortunate that he got to see Cox several times over the last few years, going to the Hall of Famer’s house along with Snitker. "He’d continue to watch us every night," Weiss said. "And he was well aware of what was going on. His mind was still sharp." Cox won five National League pennants with the Braves and a World Series title in 1995. He was a four-time Manager of the Year and also spent time as the Braves’ general manager, helping lay the groundwork for the team’s tremendous success in the late 90s and early 2000s. But what Freeman takes most from Cox has nothing to do with the baseball field. "It didn’t matter who you were, he knew your name," Freeman said. "I think that’s what left the impact on so many people, is genuine care. If you guys know me, I’m big person to person. I like to be genuine and real and make you feel like I care because I do. And that’s a Bobby thing. "And I think of why so many people love Bobby, too, is he was always right next to the camera. You could hear him cheering on his teammates. He was in every pitch. He wanted to win just as much as you did. Braves country could hear him cheering for his guys because he was sitting right next to that camera well, and you could hear the speakers." Freeman went hitless in his first career game and went 4-for-24 in his rookie year in 2010. Still, Cox always believed in him. Sixteen years later, Freeman entered Saturday with 2,471 hits for his career, the most of any active player. Hanging on a wall at his house in Atlanta is a Braves jersey autographed by Cox. It reads: "To Freddie. Keep on hitting." "I bet you if I wanted to get tossed out that first game, he would’ve gotten tossed out with me," Freeman said. "That’s just who he was." Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.