On April 29, 2021, Matt Olson hit himself within the face with a baseball within the batting cage at Tropicana Area. A freak bounce off the L-screen left him with the form of shiner an athlete can normally solely purchase by going 12 rounds with Marvin Hagler, however luckily no lasting injury. By Could 2, Olson was nicely sufficient to return to the lineup, and he hasn’t missed a sport since.
Olson’s consecutive video games streak now stands at 820; not solely is that this the longest energetic run in baseball, he lately handed Nellie Fox for the Eleventh-longest streak in MLB historical past. Assuming he avoids any additional batting follow mishaps, Olson will finish the season with the eighth-longest streak ever. Solely seven gamers in MLB historical past — and 10 in all of North American top-level sports activities — have ever performed in 1,000 straight video games. Olson is because of turn into the Eleventh earlier than the All-Star break subsequent yr.
That is undeniably a formidable athletic feat. For the previous 5 seasons — and actually, near a decade, courting again to his early days in Oakland — Olson has been adequate to demand a beginning place in a giant league lineup. And for good groups, most of the time. He’s taken adequate care of his physique to resist the (appreciable, even for a primary baseman) bodily toll of a 162-game main league season, and averted harm by means of impression in addition to wear-and-tear. (Olson has been hit by 30 pitches throughout his streak, and escaped together with his hamate bone intact.)
As a lot as I love Olson’s dedication and dedication, I’ve a little bit of a crank tackle iron man streaks: Should you actually by no means miss a sport, you’re most likely hurting the workforce.
Olson has been suiting up six days every week each season for 5 years, and whereas he’s not taking the beating of a catcher or center infielder, he’s nonetheless exerting himself sufficient to require relaxation. Not so much, however skipping the odd day sport after an evening sport may assist him save his energy for giant moments later within the yr.
Since Olson joined the Braves in 2022, Atlanta has received 100 regular-season video games twice. However the Braves’ postseason file is 2-8, and so they’ve did not win a single playoff spherical since their World Collection title in 2021. Olson is hitting .250/.357/.417 with two homers in these 10 video games, which is simply positive in a vacuum however beneath his regular requirements.
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In 2023, the Braves received 104 video games with an unusually steady lineup: All 9 beginning place gamers performed at the very least 100 video games. Eight of them performed at the very least 138 video games, and along with the irreplaceable Olson, each Austin Riley and Ronald Acuña Jr. performed 159 video games apiece.
That is, from soup to nuts, probably the greatest regular-season groups I can bear in mind. The Braves not solely received a division that despatched three groups to the playoffs, however they received it by 14 video games. Olson was unbelievable, belting a career-high 54 dwelling runs and hitting .283/.389/.604. This was a type of seasons that bears reaching again for the old-timey stats: Olson scored 127 runs and drove in 139. Had Acuña not scrambled away with the MVP trophy, Olson would’ve made a run on the award himself.
Olson adopted that season up with back-to-back 29-homer campaigns. Acuña and Riley each battled accidents as Atlanta’s win complete dropped by 15 from 2023 to 2024, and one other 13 from 2024 to 2025.
The extra drained the Braves regarded, the extra satisfied I turned that I had been proper all alongside: Bossman provides you all that PTO for a cause, and also you’re solely hurting your self if you happen to don’t take it.
Six weeks into the 2026 season, I discover myself… chastened. The Braves are 26-12, and Olson has, with out exaggeration, been the most effective participant within the Nationwide League. He’s hitting .301/.388/.671 with 13 dwelling runs in 38 video games, and if there are fluke indicators hiding in his stat line, they’re not particularly troubling.
He’s swinging the bat more durable than in any earlier season for which bat monitoring knowledge is obtainable. And he’s making extra contact than ever (each inside and out of doors the zone) and putting out at his lowest fee since 2021.
As you may suspect from a hitter with a 50-homer season on his CV, Olson has all the time had terrific uncooked energy. His lengthy levers and looping, swish swing have by no means evinced the uncooked energy or violence you’ll discover among the many true exit velo monsters — even swish lefties like Shohei Ohtani. Olson hits the ball exhausting so much, and he places the ball within the air so much, and so a whole lot of his fly balls perform of the yard.
In 2023, Olson posted a HR/FB% of 27.8%, second behind Ohtani amongst certified hitters. Final yr, that quantity was all the way down to 16.0%, which was thirty eighth within the league. This yr: 23.6%. Right here’s one of many 55 fly balls Olson has hit this yr.
Normally, once I plug a video right into a publish there’s some pedagogical worth — I would like you to see one thing particular to grasp the purpose I’m making. Not so right here. I simply thought you is likely to be to see a man put a baseball on the roof of the Cumberland Mall.
I’m not fully sure what’s modified. In keeping with Baseball Savant, he’s standing together with his toes a couple of inches nearer collectively than final yr, with a stance that’s a pair levels extra open. Evaluating the house run from above with this one from final season, the distinction is delicate at finest.
Regardless of the trigger, Olson is making higher swing selections and assembly the ball extra squarely than in earlier seasons. Normally, after we say a hitter is “sizzling,” there’s an undercurrent of acknowledgment that he’s getting fortunate. Hotness, typically as not, has extra to do with what occurs after contact than earlier than.
That’s not likely the case right here. Olson is sizzling as a result of he’s seeing the ball nicely, and he’s getting applicable outcomes. This can be a hitter for whom a down yr entails 30-odd dwelling runs and a wRC+ within the 120s; when he will get the “NBA Jam” fireball streak going, that is what it seems to be like.
It’s additionally value noting that Olson and the Braves have additionally had fairly straightforward competitors. Atlanta has performed 11 completely different opponents up to now this season; none of them at present (as of Thursday afternoon) has a profitable file. The Braves performed six video games in opposition to the Phillies whereas they have been of their lifeless parrot section. Olson additionally has 4 homers in seven complete video games at Coors Area and Chase Area, the 2 highest-elevation ballparks within the league.
Nonetheless, Olson has the second-highest ISO within the Nationwide League. He’s killing the ball proper now, to an extent that will be noteworthy even when the Braves had solely performed the Westish Faculty Harpooners all yr.
In conclusion: If Olson is hitting like this, the iron man streak will deal with itself. No sane supervisor would take this bat out of the lineup, even for one sport.