Despite being the Atlanta Braves first baseman for four seasons now and being very, very good, there’s still a decent portion of Braves country that has yet to come around on Matt Olson.
Whether it’s because he’s simply not he’s not his predecessor, Freddie Freeman, or whether his bouts of hot and cold streaks are too much for some fans to stomach, Olson hasn’t quite gained the respect that one would expect of a local star who’s been a perennial top-five first baseman since 2019.
After a slow start by Olson, Braves fans were still longer for their ex. But in the last month, the 31-year-old has quietly put together a stretch on both sides of the field that should quiet the Olson dissenters.
No doubter 💪
Series finale tonight at @TruistPark: https://t.co/HLlDJ5Z24z pic.twitter.com/kDG32jd7qs
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 19, 2025
Matt Olson is quietly becoming the best first baseman in baseball
Heading into Friday’s action, there was only one first baseman ahead of the lefty-swinging Braves first baseman in fWAR, Pete Alonso of the Mets, and that lead was only by 0.1 fWAR. He’s also the only first baseman in baseball who’s bWAR begins with a three. Simply put, Olson has been outstanding this year.
Olson’s offense has been excellent on a team that’s starved for offense, as the Atlanta native has slashed .256/.361/.489 (136 wRC+) with 15 bombs. By wRC+, he comes in as the 25th-best hitter among qualified hitters.
Believe it or not, this slashline is actually better than what he had through June 20, 2023, a year where he finished the season fourth in MVP voting. He’s also been unlucky this season by xBA and xSLG, which could indicate he’s on track to finish 2025 in a similar way to 2023.
His last month and a half might indicate that’s the direction Olson’s bat is heading. Since May 16, Olson has been the sixth-best hitter in the game by wRC+. He’s slashed .315/.395/.640 with eight homers.
But Matt Olson hasn’t just been excellent offensively. This season, Olson has become the best defensive first baseman in baseball, regardless of the metric you choose. By DRS, the Braves first baseman ranks second in the majors, regardless of position, with 13. By OAA, he ranks 10th in MLB with 7, with no other first baseman within 2 OAA of him.
Because of his glove, Olson currently has a positive DEF according to Fangraphs, which has a positional adjustment that makes it nearly impossible for first basemen to make it out of the red. Since 2015, the beginning of the Statcast Era, the only qualified first baseman to finish the season with a positive DEF were Christian Walker (2019 and 2024), Carlos Santana (2024), and Evan White (2020).
If Olson can get his actual numbers to where his expected stats believe he should be, the Braves first baseman find himself in a league above every other first baseman.
