Olson Not Concerned by Slow Spring Start

Athletics' first baseman Matt Olson had just one hit before Sunday's RBI double, but he's happy with the progress his swing has made this spring.

Matt Olson came into Sunday’s game in Las Vegas against the Indians with one hit in his first 10 Cactus League at-bats.

A couple of years ago that kind of slow start might have had him grinding his teeth. But after hitting 36 homers last year and 89 over the course of the last three years, the two-time American League Gold Glove-winning first baseman has the karma to take the hits if and when they come.

“The biggest thing for me is getting out there, getting a feel for the strike zone, swinging at strikes and trying to be on time.” Olson said to NBCS-CA midgame Saturday in Las Vegas. ”You’d like to mix the hits in, but the most important thing is getting out there and getting the feel and the timing back.

“And I’m starting to feel good.”

Evidently. Olson doubled and drove in a run in his second at-bat Sunday leaving him with more RBI (three) than hits (two) for the spring. It won’t go like that all year, but Olson can live with it after finishing the day 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI. 

That led to an 8-5 win over the Indians, completing a weekend in which the A's swept four games in a pair of split squads, including a 10-6 win over the Royals in Surprise, Ariz. Those performances brought the A's back to even at .500 at 6-6 after a slow start to the Cactus League. 

The fact is that Olson has morphed from a wanna-be to a breakout star. Manager Bob Melvin went so far earlier in camp to say that Olson would have had to undergo consideration for the American League Most Valuable Player honor last year had he played the full season.

As it was, Olson, who had played in all 162 games in 2018, missed about five weeks at the start of the season to right hamate bone surgery after being injured in the second game of the season in Tokyo last March.

He came back on May 7 and immediately went without a homer for five games. But he went deep on May 12, hit seven homers total for the month, and then went on to show he hadn’t lost any of the power in his swing.

His defense hasn’t suffered through any down time this spring. Indeed, Olson is of the opinion that defense can be controlled and mastered in a way that offense can’t be.

“Defense is one of those things that’s directly correlated to effort, in my opinion,” Olson said. “Regardless of how good you are. I get out there and get my work in. I feel like I’m at a point where I know what I need. And it’s more of a quality over quantity deal.

“I’m just taking every rep seriously and not just going through the motions. You don’t have to be out there for an hour to get your work in. It’s about doing it the right way and preparing yourself.”