Olson is crushing it as the season winds down Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Matt Olson Providing Braves with Late-Season Power Surge

Originally posted on Atlanta Braves on SI
By Harrison Smajovits | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 9:33 AM ET

Matt Olson’s home run drought moves further into the rearview mirror. With the Atlanta Braves’ first baseman’s 25th home run of the season on Sunday, he’s now hit one out of the yard for the sixth time in his last 17 games.

Before that, he had two in his last 44. His 162-game pace jumped from seven home runs in his previous 44 games to 57 home runs during this 17-game stretch.

Olson has nine total extra-base hits and 11 RBIs during this time as well, and is slashing .350/.429/.717 with a 1.145 OPS. When the 2025 All-Star gets hot, few hitters in baseball can match him.

“You look at the body of work, and it always seems to line up with what you expect out of him,” Snitker said.

That might sound off to some fans who remember his 2023 All-Star season, but this season does line up with his usual trends. He’s still able to push for 30 home runs, he has at least 80 RBIs for the seventh time in his career and his 36 doubles are the third most he’s had in a season.

His .272 batting average is the second-best of his career, and his .369 on-base percentage is the third-best.

Olson’s recent surge is a bonus to the improved consistency we have seen elsewhere this season.

Because of the lack of home runs some might expect, some may not realize that his slugging percentage is still up compared to last season (.472 vs .457) and still tick higher.

He also has a shot to beat his 67 extra-base hits from last season. A late-season surge could make it that much more doable in the final weeks of the season.

He’d likely want to hit 54 home runs again, too, but he’s still one of the top first basemen in the game at this level of play.

On top of his offensive production, he has a Gold Glove case. No other first baseman in the National League is coming close to his 16 defensive runs saved. Should he win, it would be the third of his career and his first with the Braves.

He doesn’t miss a game either, a consistency many take for granted. Being in the lineup every day gives him the chance to get through his ebbs and flows every single day of the season.