{"id":10633,"date":"2024-06-13T19:15:21","date_gmt":"2024-06-14T02:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/?p=10633"},"modified":"2024-06-13T19:15:21","modified_gmt":"2024-06-14T02:15:21","slug":"matt-olson-awakens-in-tough-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/2024\/06\/13\/matt-olson-awakens-in-tough-times\/","title":{"rendered":"Matt Olson Awakens in Tough Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Through the ups and downs of the 2024 season for the Atlanta Braves<\/a> come surprising stories many couldn’t predict. Struggles from many players in the squad, some\u00a0 expected and some unexpected. One of those is the 2023 home run leader who was fourth in MVP voting, Matt Olson<\/a><\/strong>. He also led the majors in RBI and slugging percentage while playing all 162 games for a 2023 Braves squad that finished with a record of 104\u201358. Coming off his best season, Olson looked to carry his momentum to the 2024 season in hopes of another historic season, while the Braves looked to win their seventh straight NL East title.<\/p>\n

Not So Fast<\/h4>\n

The contrary, however, happened to Olson. His third season with the Braves started with a shock, which many pundits didn’t predict as an early-season struggle. In Olson’s first 49 games, he slashed an underwhelming .220\/.316\/.396. In those games, the Braves slugger only clobbered seven home runs in 182 at-bats while striking out 58 times. Olson went an entire calendar month without a big fly (April 8 – May 10). He went seven games without a hit and three in thirteen games in the back half of April. Olson also reached below the Mendoza line, hitting .195 total on May 11.\u00a0 While most of the Braves’ bats went cold, one of the best power hitters in baseball going cold hurt their chances to start the season with fireworks.<\/p>\n

Trending In The Right Direction<\/h4>\n

After crawling his average back to .220 nearly 50 games in, Olson’s play picked up when the Braves needed some hope. Since May 26, the Braves have played 16 games, going 6\u201310, but Olson’s performance stands out. He posted a .317 average and .371 on-base percentage, with three home runs and 10 RBI. Olson also posts a near 1.000 OPS, a nice comeback to a slow start. For some, an expected clawback for Olson seemed inevitable, and the statistics agree.<\/p>\n

Olson ranks in the top 10th percentile in hard-hit percentage and average exit velocity, showing his great contact on the ball. Olson’s K% has decreased to 17 percent and his six doubles are a major contributor to his come back. In the 16 impressive games Olson has posted, his vintage moment is this two-run shot to tie it in Baltimore against the Orioles<\/a>. In the eighth inning, after many scoreless frames from the Braves, Olson launched a two-run big fly to break the unfortunate streak.<\/p>\n

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Matt Olson ties it in Baltimore with a 2-run jack! pic.twitter.com\/mTXPmcVGsE<\/a><\/p>\n

— MLB (@MLB) June 13, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n