Braves' Matt Olson's Slow Spring Training Shouldn't Be Cause For Alarm

The Atlanta Braves first baseman's Spring Training likely made some nervous, but this is a reminder that there is no need for serious concern

Harrison Smajovits | Mar 25, 2025

Olson has his slumps, but the hot streaks are worth the wait / Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

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Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson went into Spring Training looking to show any slumps were behind him. That didn’t happen.

In Spring Training, he has a .191/.269/.383 slash line with three home runs and seven RBIs.

Some will say the usual line that spring stats don’t matter. Others will use this as a sign to be concerned.

The previous two Spring Trainings have been an indicator of what could come. He had a strong spring in 2023, ahead of his All-Star campaign, but he had a slow spring in 2024. However, this trend doesn’t continue beyond that. This could just be written off as a coincidence.

Olson is known to get into funks when it comes to his mechanics. It could be that he’s going through one of those stretches. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman highlighted toward the end of last season that Olson sometimes struggled with catching up to the fastball and mechanics were a key culprit.

“I can't tell you how much video analysis and breakdown we've done,” then hitting coach Kevin Seitzer said to Bowman in August. “He has done everything in his power to try and make it happen there in the batter’s box. He does a really good job in the cage, and then once the adrenaline starts going, he’s getting too far back, his hands are getting stuck and he’s late. It’s been a grind for him all year.”

His Spring Training could have coincided with this mechanical slump. It's fair to say that inconsistent mechanics are a concern. However, we know what he’s capable of when everything clicks. The Braves will gladly wait for it.

It should also be kept in mind that Olson tends to have good halves of seasons and not-so-good halves of seasons. This goes hand-in-hand with the mechanics point, but it’s good to put numbers out for more context.

Last season was part of a trend that goes back to before the COVID-19 pandemic. His strong start to last season compared to a cold stretch in the middle of the season arguably made it more noticeable.

Even during his all-star season, he had a slash line of .228/.347/.483 as late as June 14. He just slashed .324/.420/.693 after that. That makes it really easy to create a perception that he just fell off a cliff.

Just know this, too. In his final 63 games last season, he slashed .289/.384/.565 with 16 of his 29 home runs. That sometimes gets ignored. It shouldn’t just because his summer months were a whimper.

So, for those who saw Olson’s spring stats and got nervous. Take a deep breath. The Olson we all hope to see is coming.