How Atlanta Braves Star Matt Olson is Still Underrated

Matt Olson isn’t just an All-Star; he’s become one of the best hitters in baseball. The 2026 season has been a special one for Olson. As of Saturday, the Atlanta Braves' first baseman is one home run behind Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber for the Major League lead. He leads all of baseball in extra-base hits, and he’s in the top five in the National League in slugging percentage. It’s truly been a banner season.

Olson still has a chance to put up career highs in multiple categories and with Atlanta poised for October, he is looking to be the catalyst of a deep postseason run.

Braves manager Walt Weiss has praised Olson’s performance and leadership. When asked if Olson deserved to be in the MVP conversation,

“Absolutely.. The guy in LA makes it pretty tough…but yeah. Matt Olson, and I’ve said this a lot, especially recently, he’s evolving [into] one of the best players in our game.”

Since the All-Star Break, Matt Olson has the best barrel rate in Major League Baseball at 22% He is in the top 3% of Expected Slugging and the top 6% in exit velocity according to Baseball Savant.

Braves pitcher Bryce Elder expressed admiration for his first baseman,

"He's one of the ones, when you look around the league, that I'm glad I don't have to face. How well he can cover the zone is pretty special. It's a lot of fun to watch."

The reality is that he’s still somehow getting overlooked. Olson is the picture of consistency. Very few ballplayers can be penciled in for 162 games. He has the eighth-longest Iron Man streak in MLB history.

He does this while contributing offensively and providing strong defense at first base. As a ground ball pitcher, Elder appreciates Olson's presence defensively as well,

"It's a lot of fun to have him over at first because, you know, hard line drives and one-hoppers over there, he handles everything pretty well, so glad he's on our team."

Elder has a point. Defensively, Olson is a three-time Gold Glove winner who consistently ranks near the top of Defensive Runs Saved. His 6-foot-4 frame and his elite ability to dig out low throws from teammates earned him the nickname "King of Scoops."

Matt Olson is the only player in the Majors this season with 30 home runs and 30 doubles. He’s arguably been the best first baseman in the entire league this season, and yet he didn’t even start for the National League in the All-Star Game. That honor went to his predecessor in Atlanta, Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman.

One glance at the numbers would reveal that Olson has outperformed Freeman across the board offensively. At the All-Star Break, Olson had 25 homers and 58 RBIs, to Freeman's 15 and 49, respectively. The number of hits and doubles were about even, but Olson scored 12 more runs and possessed higher marks in slugging percentage and OPS.

In fact, the only areas where Freeman had a notable edge were average, walks and on-base percentage. Yet it was Freeman who secured the start after winning the fan vote 61% to 39%, despite the fact that Olson won the player vote by a 59% to 41% margin.

I have long been a proponent of the idea that the All-Star Game is nothing more than a popularity contest, and the fan vote should be either completely eradicated or significantly reduced, because, as good as Freeman has been in 2026, Olson has simply been better.

But that's a narrative Olson is familiar with, and a comparison he'll have to deal with for the rest of his career. There's an argument to be made that Olson has been underappreciated during his entire tenure in Atlanta, simply because his predecessor was not only one of the most beloved players in franchise history, but beloved across the league.

But none of that is Matt Olson's fault. All he's done in Atlanta is show up every day and produce, both offensively and defensively, bringing an "old-school" mentality into the clubhouse.

Matt Olson isn't just an All-Star - he's an undervalued and underappreciated superstar in the game of baseball, and it's time we start giving Matty O the recognition he deserves.

Add us as a preferred source on Google