Reigning Braves Gold Glove Winner Matt Olson is Better Than You Think

The Atlanta Braves first baseman is good at defense; that's know. But one stat reflects how much better he is than other players at his position

The Braves' first baseman is that good defensively | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

It's no secret that Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson plays good defense. Far from it, as a matter of fact. He's coming off winning the Gold Glove for the third time in his career, his first since joining the Braves in 2022.

However, there is way to show that he might be that much better than his peers than we realize. This goes beyond even being able to play the position every day. No days as a DH necessary to keep to continue his iron man streak.

He's the leader in putouts (1,147), assists (145), defensive WAR (1.1) and he's top-five in fielding percentage (.996). A 1.1dWAR may not standout as much until you realize how far away the second-place finsher is in the league.

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Free agent Ty France, who played for the Twins and Blue Jays last season, was the only other first baseman to have a positive dWAR. It was a 0.1. He's more than an entire game above replace at defense when one other player at his position is barely positive.

That is reflective of what he can do on another level. It's arguably more reflective of his abilities than finishing nearly 10 runs better in the defensive runs saved category at his position this year. In that statistical category, there are five positive players. He's one of two when it comes to dWAR and is the only one who is solidly keeping his head above water.

There is a difference between being great among peers and standing alone.

Overall, he had one of the best seasons of his career in 2025. He had his second best bWAR (6.0) and also led the league in doubles for the first time with 41.

Olson returns next season looking for another Gold Glove among other milestones this upcoming season. For one, that afformentioned iron man streak continues to climb up the list. He sits at 12th all-time at 782 games. Once he reaches the end of this season, he will be the ninth player in history to have a streak that is 900 games or longer.

He's also on track to hit his 300th career home run this season and drive in his 900th run. His 1,200th and 1,300th career hits are both in reach during this upcoming season as well.