Braves’ Matt Olson soars up rankings as he eyes another 50-homer season originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Despite some worries about who would handle shortstop duties to start the season, the Atlanta Braves have gotten off to a fantastic start. They hold the best record across MLB at 30-13, and already have a nine-game lead in the NL West.
The pitching staff has been elite so far. They hold a combined 3.06 ERA, leading all other MLB teams. They have also held opposing teams to an MLB-low .205 batting average.
However, it is not just what the pitching staff is doing that is turning heads. The offense is also thriving as the team holds a combined .272 average, which, you guessed it, leads MLB.
MORE: Braves have .586 OPS outfield problem that may require trade deadline fix
Braves’ Matt Olson soars up rankings as he eyes another 50-homer season
A few players have really started the season off strong, like Michael Harris II and Drake Baldwin, but Matt Olson is leading the way on offense.
He’s played in 43 games so far, hitting .295/.374/.639 with an MLB-leading 15 doubles, 14 home runs, and 37 runs batted in.
Two weeks ago, Olson was ranked seventh in the power hitters rankings. But he is now one of the premier bats in the league, according to the crew at MLB.com, who have now ranked him No. 2.
“Olson has made a couple of adjustments this season to lift the ball into the air more often. It’s resulted in what looks like the early stages of a career year for the 11-season vet. He is the National League leader in runs, RBIs, extra-base hits, total bases and OPS. And after falling shy of 30 homers in each of the past two years, Olson is on pace for 54 home runs, which would tie his personal best from 2023, when he finished fourth in the NL MVP voting.”
Olson is right on pace to tie his 54-homer mark that he set back in 2023 when he was in the running for NL MVP voting. If he can keep this up, he’ll be back in the NL MVP hunt and could give Shohei Ohtani a run for his money.
More MLB news:
- Pirates’ Seth Hernandez is making a case for being the hottest pitcher in the minors
- Kade Anderson is proving to be the most dominant arm in the Mariners’ system
- Athletics’ No. 4 prospect is simply unstoppable in Double-A right now
- White Sox fans should keep a close eye on the surging Gabe Davis
- Rays may have found a hidden gem in right-handed pitcher Aidan Cremarosa
