In the old days of traditional cumulative stats, he would have won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Matt Olson, 29, is on pace for home runs and RBIs in his second year with the Atlanta Braves.
Through 149 games of the season through Aug. 18, Olson is batting .278 with 52 home runs, 129 RBI, 117 runs scored, 157 runs batted in, and a .385 OS of .996.
Those are the best home run and RBI numbers in all of Major League Baseball. He’s seven and 17 away from second-place Pete Alonso in home runs and RBIs, respectively. That’s a gap that’s not easy to overcome.굿모닝토토
Alonso’s home run and RBI titles are virtually assured. In his second year in Atlanta, he’s at the peak of his powers and on the verge of a double crown.
In his first year in Atlanta last year, Olson hit .240 with 34 home runs and an OPS of .802. Not bad numbers, but not what you’d expect.
But Olson has been on an incredible home run pace since the start of this season, and after cutting down on his slumps, he surpassed the single-season team home run record of 51.
Previously, Olson had hit 39 homers, 111 RBIs, and a 0.911 OPS with the Oakland Athletics in 2021, and he surpassed all of that this season.
He’s in the prime of his career. Atlanta can keep Olson through the 2030 season for an average of $22 million per year.
Atlanta acquired Olsen last year and signed him to an eight-year, $168 million contract the very next day. General manager Alex Anthopoulos’ savvy has paid off.
The deal will keep Olsen in an Atlanta uniform through the 2030 season, barring a trade. He’ll be in Atlanta until he’s at the peak of his career.
It will be interesting to see how Olsen performs in the postseason, as he’s done enough to win his first MVP award in an era of traditional cumulative performance.