MLB's reigning home run leader discusses swing tweaks, big goals

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Braves first baseman Matt Olson has a powerful upward sweeping swing that launched 54 homers and brought 139 RBIs in 2023 -- seven homers and 21 RBIs more than anyone else in baseball.

However, he’s not resting on his laurels, and he discussed looking to refine and improve his swing after Atlanta's 6-1 loss to Detroit on Friday at Joker Marchant Stadium.

“I’m just trying to get my lower half into a good spot to hit,” Olson said. “There’s always going to be the ebbs and flows of feels and how they translate. So kind of just find the balance of everything.”

Olson gravitated to a pair of big-swinging Hall of Famers while developing as a youngster.

“I found myself watching a lot of Chipper [Jones] and Ken Griffey [Jr.] growing up,” Olson said. “Just lefties who I loved their smoother swings.”

Olson walked and went 0-for-2 against Detroit, and he's batting .192 with one homer and two RBIs in 11 Grapefruit League games. However, there’s no reason to worry: He hit .129 and didn’t homer in 2019 in the Cactus League for the Oakland A’s, then batted .267 with 36 homers and 91 RBIs that season.

He's an established star now, and last season, he eclipsed the franchise home run record of Andruw Jones and the RBI mark of Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews.

However, he finished fourth in National League MVP voting. Teammate Ronald Acuña, Jr. was the unanimous choice, followed by a pair of Dodgers in Mookie Betts and ex-Brave Freddie Freeman. Olson, a team-first guy, doesn't mind.

“I mean, I’ve never cared too much about it,” said Olson. “No matter what, Ronald was winning that thing, and he should have."

“Matt’s a tremendous teammate," said Doug Mansolino, a Braves adviser in player development. "Obviously, he’s a great player. But he’s a tremendous teammate.”

And a great example to those teammates. Olson played 162 games in 2023 for the third time in eight seasons. He was one of only four Major Leaguers to play every game last season.

“It’s awesome,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker. “Matt’s kind of a throwback guy. He signed a contract to play the game, and he enjoys playing. Not playing is not an option. I mean, he’s had some rough spells and I tried to give him time off, but he didn’t want any part of it.

“He’s just consistent. It’s a pleasure to have a guy like that who you know you just pencil him in. You don’t worry about him. He’s going to take care of himself. He’s going to show up to play, and I can’t say enough about him. [He’s] not going to short-change anything. Everything’s going to be on point with a guy like that.”

What does playing 162 mean to Olson?

“I think it’s important to try to,” he said. “Obviously, things are going to happen. You can step on a base weird and get hurt, and there’s a lot of luck involved in doing it. But it’s part of the job to try to go out and play every day.”

Olson said that his parents, Lee and Scott, and brother, Zack, who pitched at Harvard, were a "no-excuse family” that influenced his work ethic. Olson also pointed to former teammate Marcus Semien, who has missed only one game in the past three seasons.

“He loved playing every day, and I was a young guy," Olson said. "He showed us how it’s done, and then I came over here and that’s how they’ve always done it.

“It’s not a question for me anymore.”

It can be easy to overlook his glove when figuring the great value of Olson, but he won Gold Gloves in 2018 and '19 for the A’s. Olson is a defensive difference-maker, and he showed that Friday while quickly getting in the hole to cleanly field a screaming grounder hit by Riley Greene and throwing him out at first.

Each of Olson’s first two seasons in Atlanta ended by losing the NLDS to the Phillies in four games after winning 100-plus games and the NL East title.

Is there motivation to prove they are the best team in baseball by winning the World Series, as Atlanta did in 2021?

“I mean, I don’t think we have to prove anything,” said Olson. “Everybody in here wants to be holding that trophy at the end of the year. Every team does. We have the luxury of being able to look around and see the talent that we know makes it possible.

“We’re just going to keep doing our thing and see where we’re at at the end.”