The Atlanta Braves, and specifically first baseman Matt Olson, are making noise at the plate. Olson is generating reverberations louder than the customary crack of well-timed contact at the plate all season long. His home run frequency is assaulting the record book as well.
His numbers are mounting to the point where he is:
- Compiling a home run pace comparable to the franchise’s best season, and
- Presenting a challenge to teammate Ronald Acuña Jr. for National League MVP consideration.
Olson hit his 37th home run of the season in a 12-5 rout of the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. He is on pace to eclipse a franchise-record 51 homers by Andruw Jones in 2005. That is saying a lot, considering this was the franchise of all-time great Hank Aaron for the majority of his career (whose best single season was 47 in 1971).
Braves Matt Olson: Is the MVP Conversation To Soon?
No one has more RBI this year than Matt Olson (88) and only Shohei Ohtani has more home runs (this was #35 for Oly)!pic.twitter.com/aOvnTHqKSD
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) July 31, 2023
One could say that being Olson is all about the timing – both in hitting and in becoming a centerpiece of the Braves’ potent offense. The Atlanta-born slugger and defensive standout came home from Oakland in 2021 to “pre-replace” Freddie Freeman, who was leaving after a stellar Atlanta run that included the 2020 NL MVP, a 2021 World Series win and 271 home runs with the Braves.
The NL East-leading Braves are on pace to win 105 games and feature at least two logical MVP candidates: Olson and teammate Ronald Acuña Jr.
- Olson has a .263 batting average to go with his 37 home runs and .967 OPS.
- Acuña Jr. is third in the NL with a .335 batting average, has hit 25 homers and leads the NL with a 1.002 OPS.
Both are stellar at their respective positions: Olson at first base and Acuña Jr. in right field, so there is no advantage either way. The scales may tip Acuña Jr.’s way due to his 51 stolen bases. Olson has one.
Only 56 Games Remain, But Lots of Baseball Left
As any baseball observer worth their weight in adage will say, when looking at the big picture, the World Series remains the goal while individual honors are secondary. MVP talk in August is somewhat premature with so much baseball yet to be played.
The logic and wisdom of patience toward the long season were important through the early part of the 2023 campaign, in which Olson was hitting a meager .228 with 17 home runs through June 14. He has been on a tear since, hitting .319 with 20 homers, placing him atop the NL and only two behind the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani for the MLB lead. The numbers and the approach are beyond solid.
The Braves home run numbers are video game-esque. They topped the 200-season total earlier this week and are on pace to break the Minnesota Twins’ single-season MLB record of 307, set in 2019. Among Braves, Olson has 37 home runs, is Ozzie Albies, Acuña Jr. and Austin Riley have 25 homers each, and Marcell Ozuna with 22.
Hats Off: MLB Means It
The frequency of Atlanta’s home runs cannot be mentioned without referencing the stoppage of their early season dugout celebration. As is the current MLB trend, their fun home run celebration featured the wearing of an oversized baseball cap by the hitter. Unfortunately, the cap did not match the brand supplier for MLB as the league ordered the celebration to end.
The @Braves‘ Austin Riley & Matt Olson have combined for back-to-back home runs in a game in April, May, June, July & August this season.
They are the only teammates in MLB history to have back-to-back home runs in a game in five straight months in a single season. pic.twitter.com/LM0JLVmXyl
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 2, 2023
To quote the late Norm MacDonald in his portrayal of the late Burt Reynolds wearing a massive foam cowboy hat in a Saturday Night Live parody skit of Celebrity Jeopardy! from 20-plus years ago. Even with a big hat on the shelf, Atltanta keeps on hitting homers. Now the question is: How can the outfield seats endure?
The Braves are not just considered big thunkers, however, as they possess baseball’s best OPS (.892) and seventh-best pitching (3.87 team ERA), which has led them to the best record in the majors.
Photo Credit: © Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Players Mentioned:
Matt Olson, Andruw Jones, Hank Aaron, Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuna Jr., Shohei Ohtani, Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, Marcell Ozuna
