Matt Olson is having an impressive profession. Since breaking into the large leagues late within the 2016 season, the 31-year-old first baseman has blasted 273 residence runs — together with 54 in 2023 — whereas logging a 132 wRC+. A left-handed hitter, he’s garnered two All-Star nods, two Gold Gloves, and one Silver Slugger award. Initially with the Oakland Athletics, Olson has worn an Atlanta Braves uniform since they acquired him through commerce in March 2022.
He was a promising-yet-polarizing prospect when Kiley McDaniel ranked him second behind Franklin Barreto on our 2015 Athletics High Prospect record. Olson’s uncooked energy was apparent, however there have been additionally query marks. Whereas some scouts had been bullish on his future, others had their reservations. Drafted forty seventh general in 2012 out of Parkview Excessive College in Lilburn, Georgia, Olson had a level of boom-or-bust in his profile.
What did Olson’s February 2015 FanGraphs scouting report seem like? Furthermore, what does he give it some thought all these years later? Wanting to search out out, I shared a few of what McDaniel wrote and requested Olson to reply to it.
———
“Olson has some pedigree as a former sandwich pick of an Atlanta-area highschool.”
“When you get into professional ball it doesn’t matter an excessive amount of,” Olson mentioned. “On the similar time, organizationally they form of care extra in regards to the funding that’s put into a man than the participant truly enjoying the sport. So far as [having signed out of high school], you’re solely enjoying 50 video games in faculty, versus 140 within the minors. As a hitter, I feel it may be useful to get on the market and get the day in, time out somewhat bit sooner.”
“He had an enormous yr within the Cal league final yr and he has some huge instruments, headlined by straightforward plus energy from the left aspect.”
“Yeah, that’s been part of my sport for awhile,” acknowledged Olson, who has 14 residence runs and a 127 wRC+ within the present marketing campaign. “Clearly it helps once you’re enjoying within the Cal League; the ball jumps out of there for essentially the most half.”
“It boils all the way down to issues in regards to the bat. He walked a ton final yr, however Olson has solely common bat velocity and the Cal league is tremendous hitter pleasant.”
“Like I simply mentioned, yeah, tremendous pleasant,” he replied. “The bat velocity… I don’t know. It’s truthfully not a factor that I pay an excessive amount of consideration to. However for guys with larger, longer limbs, it is going to seem like it’s not transferring as rapidly. We simply performed James Wooden [and the Washington Nationals]. If you happen to watch him swing, it’s fairly straightforward, however when he connects he will get it 110 [mph] oppo for a homer. I’ve had sufficient bat velocity to get some balls over the fence.”
“Some scouts suppose Olson cheats a bit and could also be a mistake hitter, feasting on dangerous pitches late in counts, which come much less and fewer usually as you go up the chain.”
“How can I reply that?” the achieved slugger responded. “Guys must do their jobs and attempt to predict issues for the long run. I’m attempting to place myself again in that period to… I’ve by no means checked out myself as a man who needed to cheat to [get to] pitches. In my thoughts, I’ve at all times been in a position to react and take the ball the place it must go.”
“Olson was into the low-90s on the mound in highschool and has a strong common arm, so the A’s tried him in proper subject a bit final yr.”
“That was extra in order that first base was form of logged in somewhat bit, within the group,” Olson recalled. “I feel they had been form of simply discovering methods to maintain me within the lineup. I by no means actually performed a lot outfield. I’m not the quickest man, so I’m most likely not monitoring down the identical variety of balls as Mike Harris, however I used to be fairly sure-handed with what I may get to. They got here to me with it and I figured it may very well be one other membership in my bag that might assist me going ahead.
“A far as [pitching], most individuals wished me as a hitter. I used to be dedicated to Vanderbilt, they usually had mentioned that two-way was a risk. I don’t know the way a lot reality there was to that — it may have been a recruiting pitch — nevertheless it’s one thing that I’d have wished to do had I gone to varsity. I at all times actually loved pitching, form of being the man in management on the mound. However there have been positively guys with higher arms, extra explosive arms, than mine.”
“Some scouts suppose the physique is mushy and don’t suppose he’s an awesome athlete or defender, whereas others aren’t involved and suppose he’s above common defensively at first base.”
“Protection has at all times been one thing that I pleasure myself on,” the slick-fielding Olson mentioned. “If you happen to put me in a weight room, or have me do a vertical-jump take a look at, I’m not going to be a man that wows you by any means, however I’ve at all times had fairly good footwork for a man my measurement. The coaching stuff is one thing I’ve needed to be on prime of somewhat greater than different individuals. You’ve acquired to know your weaknesses and keep on them. I feel I’ve turned myself into any person who can transfer fairly properly and make up for the place the athleticism would possibly lack.
“My physique did want work. I didn’t begin getting within the weight room and all that, on a strict program, till most likely my junior yr of highschool. Rising up, my dad’s perception was to be an athlete. You set a basketball, a soccer, or a golf membership in my fingers, I’m going to look fairly clean doing it, however so far as precise energy coaching and velocity — that form of stuff — I used to be somewhat little bit of a late bloomer.”
“Studies I’ve acquired on Olson have had the widest hole of anybody within the course of apart from Colin Moran, in order that makes it inherently fascinating to look at his improvement within the coming years.”
“Moran was within the Cal League as properly,” Olson recalled. “So yeah, possibly some individuals put additional weight into the league — how the ball flew there — and didn’t know whether or not to belief it or not. What they thought wasn’t one thing I paid an excessive amount of consideration to, although. I do know that I had that belief.”
——
Earlier “Previous Scouting Studies Revisited” interviews could be discovered by way of these hyperlinks: Cody Bellinger, Matthew Boyd, Dylan Stop, Matt Chapman, Erick Fedde, Kyle Freeland, Lucas Giolito, Randal Grichuk, Ian Happ, Jeff Hoffman, Tanner Houck, Matthew Liberatore, Sean Newcomb, Bailey Ober, Austin Riley, Joe Ryan, Max Scherzer, Marcus Semien.