Oly Man

 

It says something about the Braves that in a large field of great hitters and great players, someone as good as Matt Olson, who was a standout star in Oakland, doesn't stand out as much and fits right into the rest of the team. Last year he stood out a bit because he hit all those homers, but this year, like Eddie Rosario, Travis d'Arnaud and Charlie Morton before him, Matt Olson has blended right into this Braves team and has settled into a nice role as a power hitting first baseman.

Like he was before with the A's, Olson isn't exactly hitting for average. Even with the 17 home runs he's hit so far, Olson's got a .231 average and leads the team in strikeouts with 85. But this is honestly what the Braves knew they'd be getting with Olson. Along with Rosario, Olson is here because he can hit for power and rack up RBIs, and even if Rosario isn't doing this as successfully right now, these types of power hitters are crucial for a team that otherwise relies on a ton of contact hitting. 

And yes, the team also has Marcell Ozuna to hit home runs, but even the Braves fans are kinda over him. Just waiting for the end of that contract. First starting DH in Braves history, and yeah that's it that's all he's notable for.

Olson is one of 5 Braves with 30+ RBIs and one of 6 Braves with 10+ homers, and I also think it's pretty cool that he and fellow A's teammate Matt Olson are both pounding the ball together and helping this Braves team stay in first. I still feel kinda sad that the late 2010s A's teams never became great because the Astros were always winning the West, but at least Chapman, Semien, Olson and Murphy are all finding success on more competitive teams. Depressing if you're an A's fan, but still impressive. 

The Braves have so much working right now, with a lineup that can hit for contact AND power, a rotation that's solved its lower-depth issues since Jared Shuster's figured out the majors and A.J. Smith-Shawyer has proved he can start admirably as well, and a trusted closer now that Raisel Iglesias has reassumed the ninth from A.J. Minter. They're 5 games ahead of the nearest competition and exactly where they should be right now. Hopefully they hold onto this feeling, because we all know it doesn't last.

Coming Tomorrow- He's tall as hell, throws fire, and is yet another awesome starter in Minneapolis.