Despite 'Down Year' Braves' Matt Olson Still Ranked Among Elite First Basemen

Even though he experienced a "down year" by his standards, Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson was still among the top players at his position in 2024 according to Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter.

Atlanta Braves first base Matt Olson / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson struggled for large parts of the 2024 season. But he was also a victim of his own success -- the high standard he set during his incredible 2023 campaign with the team.

That's what Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter argued when he ranked the top first basemen from the 2024 season. Even with disappointing numbers, Reuter rated Olson among his top five 2024 first basemen.

The Bleacher Report analyst placed Olson at No. 5 on his first basemen rankings.

"After a 54-homer, 139-RBI season to finish fourth in NL MVP balloting in 2023, Matt Olson took a step backward in the third season of his eight-year, $168 million deal with the Atlanta Braves,"Reuter wrote. "However, he finished strong, performing at an elite level over the final two months of the season.

"The 30-year-old could be primed for another huge season in 2025, and even in a down year by his standards, he was still a 3.8-WAR player."

Even with the downturn, the only first basemen Reuter ranked ahead of Olson were Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bryce Harper, Freddie Freeman and Pete Alonso.

Over the final two months of the season, Olson hit .289 with a .547 slugging percentage. He posted a .283 average with a .604 slugging percentage when he was an MVP candidate in 2023.

Olson also had nearly as many RBI in his final 55 games (48) as he did in his first 107 contests (50) last season.

Add it all up, and Olson slashed .247/.333/.457 with 29 home runs, 98 RBI and 78 runs in 685 plate appearances during 2024.

It was the first time Olson failed to reach 30 home runs and 100 RBI while playing at least 130 games since 2018. But the Braves first baseman barely missed those marks -- one more 2-run homer, and he's at both milestones.

So, not reaching those plateaus shouldn't really change how we view Olson's 2024 campaign. It was extremely frustrating at times, but he turned it around to lead the team to the postseason. Without that turnaround, the Braves probably don't extend their playoff streak to seven seasons.

As Reuter noted, the turnaround could bode well for Olson in 2025. He tends to be a very streaky hitter, with his hot streaks extending for months at a time.

The 2023 season was pretty much one very long hot streak for Olson. He could very well experience that again next summer.