Understandably, Michael Harris II’s torrid run of play of late is getting a lot of love from Atlanta Braves fans and, well, pretty much everyone.
Harris’ turnaround this season is unlike anything we have really seen as he has gone from one of the worst hitters in baseball to an absolute world-beater over the last month. While those that were calling Harris’ extension a mistake a month ago have been deleting some social media posts, Braves slugger Matt Olson has been quietly been being quite good as well.
Despite the presence of some fans that will never accept Olson since he replaced Freddie Freeman, Olson has certainly made his mark in his almost four seasons with the Braves. His transcendent 2023 season stands out, but Olson has been one of the game’s better power hitters during his tenure with Atlanta.
While his 2025 season has had it’s ups and downs, Harris’ dominance lately has overshadowed Olson’s own contributions that are nothing to sneeze at.
Matt Olson has been raking in August and more Braves fans need to notice it
Again, no one is saying that Michael Harris II hasn’t been the Braves’ best hitter for a month or so. He has been great and unless he completely falls off a cliff, he’ll probably win NL Player of the Month for August. However, a big reason why Harris’ hot streak has been so fruitful is because Olson has been doing great work in front of him in the lineup.
After posting a mediocre, but still fine, .748 OPS and 111 wRC+ in July, Olson has turned on the jets in August. In 86 plate appearances this month, Olson has slashed .329/.395/.474 which combines to give him a 144 wRC+, his second best month of 2025 behind his insane 162 wRC+ in June. Again, not Babe Ruth-esque numbers, but it has been exactly what Atlanta has needed especially with Harris on such a heater and Ronald Acuña Jr. coming back.
Olson’s production being overlooked is probably exactly the way he wants things as he clearly prefers to operate away from the spotlight. He just shows up literally every day and does his job to the best of his ability and sometimes, it is truly special. Hopefully Braves fans are starting to notice how important Olson has been even if he doesn’t call much attention to himself or get many headlines.
