Matt Olson is a star first baseman who plays for the Atlanta Braves of the MLB (Major League Baseball). Ever since he was drafted into the MLB, Matt Olson has been a stellar performer. He has won multiple Golden Gloves and Fielding Bible awards. He has also made the MLB All Star team twice. In this post, we will find out more about Matt Olson. Let’s get started.

Matt Olson: All You Need To Know

When was Matt Olson born?

Olson was born on March 29, 1994, in Atlanta to Scott and Lee Olson.

Where did Matt Olson study?

Matt Olson attended Parkview School in Lilburn. In 2011 and 2012, Matt won the state championship as a member of his school team, playing first base and pitcher. He was named Player of the Year by the Gwinnett Daily Post in 2012. 

How did Matt Olson start his MLB career?

Matt Olson was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the first round, 47th overall, in the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft. After signing a contract with the club, he abandoned his intention to enroll at Vanderbilt University.

Oakland Athletics

Olson began his professional career as a member of the Athletics farm club in the Arizona League. In 46 games played, he batted 28.2% and had 41 RBI. He also played four games for the Vermont Lake Monsters in 2012. At the end of the season, Bleacher Report named him one of Oakland’s ten most promising young players. From 2013 to 2016, Matt played for various teams in the Oakland system, advancing to the AAA level. With the Nashville Sounds, he batted 26.3% in 131 regular-season games and five in the Pacific Coast League playoffs. In September, he was called up to the Athletics’ starting lineup for the first time, and by the end of the season, Olson played in eleven Major League Baseball games.

Olson also started the 2017 championship in Nashville; he was called up to the Athletics’ main team in June. He finished the season with a 25.9% slugging percentage and hit 24 home runs while only allowing 26 extra base hits. 

Matt Olson played all 162 games during the 2018 season with Oakland. He hit a career milestone with his first career walk off, an RBI single to secure a 12–11 comeback win over the Chicago White Sox. His first ever walk off home run came a little later against the Houston Astros. The year continued to get better as Matt Olson even hit his first ever career grand slam as the Oakland Athletics won 9-3 against the Seattle Mariners. Matt Olson concluded his stellar 2018 campaign with 29 home runs and 84 RBIs. Matt Olson also ended up with an impressive .247 batting average for the season. The stellar season was topped with his first ever Golden Glove. He led all first basemen with 14 defensive runs saved and an 11.6 ultimate zone rating.

During the 2019 season, Matt Olson travelled with the Oakland Athletics to Tokyo and played in both the games of the 2019 Opening Series. Unfortunately, he was forced to exit the second game because of a sudden onset of pain in his right hand. Scans confirmed that he was feeling the pain because of the hamate bone in his hand and it was surgically removed the next day. Matt Olson recovered quickly and rejoined the Oakland Athletics on May 7. For the 2019 season, Matt Olson’s batting average was .267/.351/.545. Matt Olson was stellar on defence again, boasting an impressive 13 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) rating, which led all first basemen once again, earning Matt Olson his second straight Golden Glove.

Matt Olson started the 2020 season with an even bigger bang, hitting the first ever opening day walk off grand slam for the first time in 34 years. However, the rest of the season didn’t go so well and Matt Olson only managed a batting average of .195 in the COVID-19 affected season. However, he still led the Oakland Athletics in important stats like home runs, RBIs and total games played.

Matt Olson bounced back strong in the 2021 season. He played 156 games for the team, had 153 hits, 39 home runs, 111 RBIs and 88 walks. His batting average jumped up to .271. He also led the team in slugging percentage with .540. Matt Olson earned his first ever MLB All Star selection as a representative of the American League. He also took part in the Major League Baseball Home Run Derby. Matt Olson came quite close to winning the Silver Slugger and Golden Glove Awards once again but lost out in the final round. 

Atlanta Braves

On March 14, 2022, the Atlanta Braves pulled off a blockbuster trade where they sent Cristian Pache, Shea Langeliers, Joey Estes, and Ryan Cusick to the Oakland Athletics and received Matt Olson in return. A day after the completion of the trade, Matt Olson promptly signed an eight year, $168 million contract. This was the most expensive Atlanta Braves contract at that time, eclipsing the eight-year, $135 million deal of Freddie Freeman in 2014. However, the record was short lived as Austin Riley was given a 10 year, $212 million contract later that season. Matt Olson made another MLB All Star Team, this time with the Atlanta Braves, representing the National league. He was selected as a reserve infielder. 

Matt Olson continued to shine for the Atlanta Braves and broke the franchise record for the fastest 40 home run season. He eventually became only the second ever Atlanta Braves player to hit 50 home runs in a season. He eventually broke Andruw Jones’ franchise record of 51 home runs in a season and ended the season with 52. The extremely durable Matt Olson was also one of the only two MLB players who appeared in all 162 games during the 2022 season. The other player, coincidentally, was also his teammate Dansby Swanson.

What is Matt Olson’s jersey number?

Matt Olson spent the majority of his time with the Oakland Athletics with jersey number 28. Matt Olson’s actual preferred number was 21 but when he was promoted to the Oakland Athletics’ MLB team, that number belonged to Stephen Vogt. Matt Olson wanted to wear jersey number 21 to honour Jeff Francoeur. 

Who is Matt Olson’s wife?

Matt Olson married Nicole Olson in November 2021. The couple doesn’t have any children as of now.