Matt Olson Continues Hot August for Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson has gotten hot during the dog days of summer.

Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson reacts after hitting a home run against the Washington Nationals / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Braves smoked the Minnesota Twins in the series opener on Monday night, riding out a rain delay to win 10-6 after jumping out to a 9-1 lead. 

Matt Olson had a three-hit night and batted in runs early and often for the Braves. He drove in five runs, including three off a big blast in the first inning.

Pouring it on early! pic.twitter.com/EZkcGWtLOp

— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) August 26, 2024

Olson’s night perfectly reflects his strong August performance. He’s looked much more like the Matt Olson the Braves saw last year.

In 24 games this month, Olson has a slash line of .247/.340/.528 with six home runs and 21 RBIs. While he wouldn’t quite be where he was last season, he would still be on pace for 40 home runs and 142 RBIs across 162 games at this pace. 

Most of the resurgence has come from a power standpoint, at least to start. He’s still not getting on base as much as he did last season. But that could change. We only have to look back to last season to see what could be ahead. He could draw more walks now that he's seen a power resurgence. Teams will be less likely to pitch to him.

What we might be forgetting about last year’s season, even as an all-star in 2023, is how much a late-season surge boosted his season-long numbers. 

From Aug. 1 until the end of the season in 2023, Olson had a slash line of .321/.430/.623 with 18 home runs and 50 RBIs. Once he got to September, he managed to turn the dial up just a bit with a .352/.452/.695 slash line. 

Olson might be taking a liking to the late-season heroics. The Braves wouldn’t mind if he did. It would also make up for the slump he was in for a good chunk of the season. 

If he can get the Braves into the playoffs and have a good October, then how he played 100 or so games of the season can be overlooked or forgotten entirely. 

Of course, if the Braves miss the playoffs, it could be looked at as too little too late. But with the Braves still in a playoff spot (they picked up a game on the Mets on Monday) and still theoretically in a position to catch the Phillies, it’s his narrative to create.