{"id":797119,"date":"2026-05-15T01:56:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T01:56:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/797119\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T01:56:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T01:56:20","slug":"smart-workaholic-mvp-matt-olson-is-driving-the-red-hot-braves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/797119\/","title":{"rendered":"Smart. Workaholic. MVP? Matt Olson Is Driving The Red Hot Braves"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES \u2014 <\/strong>Matt Olson<\/a> wishes he could point to something purposeful, a fix or tweak or deliberate change that he made, to help explain his MVP-caliber start.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He has been one of Major League Baseball\u2019s best first basemen for years, but he\u2019s on a different level to start the 2026 season. The 32-year-old leads MLB<\/a> in doubles and total bases and the Braves<\/a> in home runs, RBI, walks, slugging and OPS.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He leads the National League in FanGraphs\u2019 version of wins above replacement. He\u2019s barreling the ball at the highest rate of his 11-year career, swinging harder than he has either of the past two seasons and producing his lowest whiff rate in five seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It seems the only thing he can\u2019t do right now is elucidate the main reason why.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Matt Olson is off to an MVP-caliber season. (Photo by G Fiume\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n

“That\u2019s the hardest question to answer,” Olson told me last weekend while helping the Braves capture their series victory over the Dodgers. “When things are going well, you hit the mistakes. That\u2019s what it feels like. A guy makes a mistake over the plate, you\u2019re barreling it instead of maybe just fouling it off or popping it up or whatever. I haven\u2019t really changed anything. I wish I had a cool answer for you.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

One explanation for the performance could be his higher attack angle, which, in tandem with his already high quality of contact, is helping his hard-hit balls clear the fence. Prior to this year, Olson\u2019s highest fly-ball rate (34.4%) came in 2023, when he hit a career-high 54 home runs. This year, his fly-ball rate is even higher (35.5%), and his 14 home runs have him on a 52-homer pace.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whichever way he\u2019s getting to his production, the Braves will take it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A year ago, they won their 30th game of the season on June 13. This year, they reached that mark on May 13 \u2014 exactly one month earlier \u2014 to become the first team in baseball to 30 wins.<\/p>\n

While Olson struggles to explain his own transcendence, it\u2019s no mystery why his team is excelling: The Braves\u2019 pitching staff has the lowest ERA in the sport, and their offense has the highest OPS in the sport.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Coming off back-to-back All-Star seasons, 37-year-old Chris Sale<\/a> somehow looks even better. Bryce Elder<\/a> trails only Shohei Ohtani for the lowest ERA among qualified National League starters, and relievers Dylan Lee<\/a>, Robert Suarez<\/a> and Raisel Iglesias<\/a> have combined for a 0.53 ERA at the back end of the bullpen. Offensively, Ozzie Albies<\/a> and Michael Harris II<\/a> have found their form again coming off the worst offensive seasons of their career, and 25-year-old Drake Baldwin is already one of the top catchers in the league.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Perhaps above all else, though, Olson looks like an NL MVP contender.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Are these the two NL MVP frontrunners? (Photo by Brian Rothmuller\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) <\/p>\n

“It\u2019s tough to make a better case than Ohtani every year,” Braves manager Walt Weiss acknowledged, “but Matt\u2019s been unbelievable, one of the best players in the game. People talk about 2023 when he had 54 homers. I think he\u2019s swinging the bat even better now.”<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Olson joined the 300-homer club and moved into the top 10 on the consecutive games played list. His 1.013 OPS is the highest mark of his career, and he continues to grade out as one of the top defensive first basemen in the sport.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When I asked utility man Mauricio Dubon<\/a> if anything stood out about his new teammates, he singled out Olson. His reasoning went beyond the first baseman\u2019s production.<\/p>\n

“He\u2019s smart, he\u2019s a workaholic, and it\u2019s contagious,” Dub\u00f3n told me, pointing out how diligently Olson studies pitchers and gameplans. “You see, \u2018Damn, this guy has so many home runs \u2014 he just hit his 300-something home run \u2014 playing 800 games in a row, and still doing that?\u2019 Yeah, I gotta step on it. For me, that’s the mentality.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dub\u00f2n, who was acquired in the offseason for light-hitting shortstop Nick Allen, is hitting above league average for the first time in his eight-year career. He\u2019s among a group of supporting cast members in Atlanta who have helped raise the floor for a Braves team that is bouncing back despite dealing with another plethora of injuries.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Braves weren\u2019t planning on Dub\u00f3n starting 23 of their first 43 games at shortstop. They re-signed Ha-Seong Kim<\/a> to play the position in December. A month later, Kim slipped on ice and needed surgery to repair a torn tendon in his middle finger. It was an ominous sign for Braves fans who watched injuries play a major role in the team\u2019s fourth-place finish last season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Matt Olson has the Braves flying high. (Photo by Todd Kirkland\/MLB Photos via Getty Images) <\/p>\n

The avalanche continued from there, as pitchers Spencer Schwellenbach<\/a> and Hurston Waldrep<\/a> underwent elbow procedures, Joey Wentz<\/a> tore his ACL, Jurickson Profar<\/a> was suspended for the year and Spencer Strider<\/a> suffered an oblique strain all before the start of the season. It felt like 2025 all over again.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Only this time, the Braves responded differently. Many of their players credit Olson\u2019s leadership and studiousness for helping guide the way.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There\u2019s an obvious element of leading by example when you\u2019re the sport\u2019s active ironman, but Olson\u2019s teammates point out that he\u2019s also more vocal than it might appear.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

“He\u2019s a guy that\u2019s always in the video room looking at pitchers, getting scouting reports,” outfielder Eli White<\/a> told me. “He likes to relay that to the guys, what he\u2019s seeing, what he\u2019s thinking. But also, he\u2019s a guy that likes the game to be played hard and played with guys treating the game with respect. If he sees something where he doesn\u2019t think somebody\u2019s holding to a certain standard, he\u2019ll let them know \u2014\u00a0in a good way, in a respectful way, the way you want guys to hold each other accountable.”<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Matt Olson is getting credit for his leadership in the Braves clubhouse. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n

Sometimes, Olson said, it can be as simple as getting on a young guy for not tipping clubhouse attendants appropriately.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m here when I need to be,” Olson told me. “I think a lot of stuff gets worked out itself, and I think it should be handled in here with the guys first. I\u2019m not the guy to, like, chirp everybody on everything \u2014 maybe in a joking manner \u2014 but I think by doing that, your voice carries a little more weight. So when something actually does need to be said, people understand, you know, \u2018All right, he\u2019s saying something, something\u2019s up.\u2019”<\/p>\n

Olson points out that he doesn\u2019t seek out confrontation, and he can count on one hand the amount of times in a season he needs to speak up about someone\u2019s behavior, but he also recognizes that he\u2019s “one of the older guys now.” He feels that\u2019s part of his responsibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“But we\u2019ve got a good group,” said Olson, “so there\u2019s not actually a lot that needs to be said.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Talking baseball, meanwhile, is a much more frequent occurrence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Having played for the Braves for five seasons, Olson has a better idea now about his teammates\u2019 swings and which players might want his advice.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019ve got a few guys that if you go up to them and say, \u2018Hey\u2026your back shoulder\u2019s a little low,\u2019 it\u2019ll go right over their head,” Olson explained, “which is great. I honestly envy that big time. But there\u2019s some guys that want to dig into that, and you get a feel for that the more you play with guys.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I guess I\u2019m more willing \u2014 because I\u2019ve been here long enough and know the guys better \u2014 to say stuff to guys. If it\u2019s something glaring on the field, like [pitch] tipping, or this guy\u2019s 80% changeup in a 1-1 count, little things I might find, that kind of stuff can impact a game. And I\u2019m kind of letting everybody know about that because I feel like if you know that it\u2019s going to help us win a ballgame.”<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0The best player on the best team in baseball. (Kevin D. Liles\/Atlanta Braves\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n

This year, the Braves are doing a lot more of that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite the injuries, they\u2019re already leading the National League East by nine games. No other team is leading its division by more than 2.5 games.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Olson, the best player on the best team in baseball, is a major reason why.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I can\u2019t point to one thing,” he said. “I think maybe last year the bad season we had left a little sour taste in some peoples\u2019\u00a0mouths. When we showed up to spring, everybody was locked in.”
__<\/p>\n

In “Touching Base<\/strong>,” we check on the top players and topics making headlines around baseball and what comes next.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LOS ANGELES \u2014 Matt Olson wishes he could point to something purposeful, a fix or tweak or deliberate…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":797120,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[1280,109501,4139,254303,67251,5915,73962,254304,26093,1884,34545,176354,164748,1266,52281,183313,877,254305,52283,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-797119","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-atlanta-braves","9":"tag-bryce-elder","10":"tag-chris-sale","11":"tag-dylan-lee","12":"tag-eli-white","13":"tag-ha-seong-kim","14":"tag-hurston-waldrep","15":"tag-joey-wentz","16":"tag-jurickson-profar","17":"tag-major-league-baseball","18":"tag-matt-olson","19":"tag-mauricio-dubon","20":"tag-michael-harris-ii","21":"tag-mlb","22":"tag-ozzie-albies","23":"tag-raisel-iglesias","24":"tag-robert-suarez","25":"tag-spencer-schwellenbach","26":"tag-spencer-strider","27":"tag-sports","28":"tag-united-states","29":"tag-unitedstates","30":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116576110909715648","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/797119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=797119"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/797119\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/797120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=797119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=797119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=797119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}