ATLANTA — Matt Olson was just six when his parents took him to Turner Field to watch Sammy Sosa put on a show in the 2000 Home Run Derby. Twenty-five years later, the Braves first baseman and suburban Atlanta native has positioned himself to possibly be an All-Star in his hometown.
Olson padded his credentials as he finished a triple shy of the cycle in a 9-6, 10-inning loss to the Orioles on Saturday afternoon at Truist Park. He will learn whether he has gained his third All-Star selection when the National League and American League reserves and pitching staffs are announced Sunday at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN.
“I think he’s earned it,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
This has become an ugly season for the Braves, who haven’t won a series since claiming a three-game sweep of the Mets on June 19. They lost each of the three series played against the Phillies, Angels and Orioles during this homestand.
With their postseason chances dying, the Braves can at least look forward to hosting the All-Star Game on July 15. Having Olson join Ronald Acuña Jr., who was elected to be one of the National League’s starting outfielders, would be a welcome sight for Atlanta fans.
Olson doubled in Saturday’s two-run first inning, hit his 17th homer to begin the bottom of the third and singled in the fourth inning. His sixth three-hit game of the season gave him sole possession of the best fWAR (Fangraphs’ Wins Above Replacement Model) among all MLB first basemen with 3.1, surpassing Pete Alonso (2.9), with whom he entered Saturday tied at 2.7.
Former Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman was elected to be the NL’s starting first baseman. The reserve spots, which are determined from player/coach balloting and MLB selections, could be filled by Olson, Alonso or the Cubs’ Michael Busch.
Here is a look at where Olson ranks among primary NL first basemen in home runs and OPS:
How can Olson have the top fWAR among first basemen and still rank fourth in these two offensive categories? Well, he has built a strong case to win his third Gold Glove Award and first since 2019.
Olson entered Saturday leading all MLB first basemen with 8 Outs Above Average and 6 Runs Prevented per Baseball Savant. Fangraphs ranks him first with 12 Defensive Runs Saved. Cleveland’s Carlos Santana ranks second with six.
It’s remarkable that Olson has even positioned himself for a possible All-Star selection. He was hitting .214 with a .720 OPS on May 15. But he ranks seventh among all qualified MLB players in both batting average (.324) and OPS (1.006) over the 44 games he has played going back to May 16.
Now we’ll see whether the first baseman will be representing both his hometown team and the host city in this year’s Midsummer Classic.