Matt Olson Reflects on Winning Braves Heart & Hustle Award

The Atlanta Braves first baseman has been recognized for the effort he puts in every single game at the plate and at first base

Olson continues to lead the way day in and day out | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Matt Olson’s season gains another piece of recognition during his All-Star season. He’s been named the Atlanta Braves Heart & Hustle Award Winner. In turn, he’s the nominee for the league-wide award. Olson previously won the team award with the Oakland Athletics in 2021. 

Congratulations to @mattolson21 for being named our 2025 @MLBPAA Heart & Hustle Award Winner! 👏 pic.twitter.com/7iOhUm7TUh

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 5, 2025

“It’s special to get an award like that,” Olson said. “Try to play the game the right way and come out here and compete the right way.”

Olson attributes what he learned to his experiences with his dad, his brother, his high school coach and his former teammate on the A’s, infielder Marcus Semien. 

“He was the vet in Oakland when I was coming up,” Olson said of Semien’s impact. “Kind of expected everybody to be on the field, and while I kind of had that in me already, you know, when you come up to the big leagues for the first time, you got to learn the ways of it, and for him to be the one to set the tone, it just kind of carried out for me.” 

Having grown up in Atlanta, he naturally looked up to multiple Braves stars, including Chipper and Andruw Jones at the plate, as well as the legendary members of the Braves rotation from the 1990s: Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine. 

Olson called them “pretty easy guys to try to be like.” 

He’s continued to follow through on that expectation set by those he looked up to of always being on the field. Olson has played over 700 consecutive games, including almost 600 straight games since arriving in Atlanta. 

Olson has been one of the most consistent bats and gloves on the team this season. He's batting .259 with 18 home runs, 68 RBIs and has a 127 OPS+. Defensively, his 27 defensive runs saved leads all first baseman by a wide margin. Carlos Santana is second with a 17 DRS.

The Braves aren’t a team that has seen its share of young talent over the last few seasons compared to other teams in the league. However, Olson said he thinks the veterans on the staff have made the right impression on those who have come about. 

“I think when young guys do come up, they see guys who are playing every day, working the right way,” Olson said. “It’s kind of a thing where I need to fall in line and do what the veteran guys are doing. Kind of similar to how it was for me as a rookie.”

He added it’s not necessarily a spoken dynamic. The tone is set, and everyone follows suit. 

The Heart & Hustle Award is an annual award given out by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association. The goal is to award the player “who demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game.” 

The first and only Braves player to win the league-wide award was Ozzie Albies in 2021. Other notable Braves to be nominated include Austin Riley, Dansby Swanson, Nick Markakis, Jason Heyward, Brian McCann and Andrelton Simmons.