The Atlanta Braves lost to the San Diego Padres in the National League Wild Card Series in 2024. Their injury-riddled season left them without Ronald Acuña Jr and Spencer Strider for most of the season and Chris Sale for the playoffs. A quick exit sent them home early in a season with World Series aspirations. Braves first baseman Matt Olson was healthy but had one of his worst seasons in 2024. He spoke with Mark Bowman of MLB.com about his poor season and hopes for 2025.
“[Last season] wasn’t the year you set out to have,” Olson told Bowman. “I was proud of the way I was able to battle back in the second half and I was able to help the team. I think I was trying to do a little too much early on.”
He continued, “I found a way to do what I do, which is drive in runs and provide power in the middle of the lineup. It’s the fun of it. You always get to go back to the drawing board and see how you can improve.”
Olson hit 29 home runs last season, the lowest in a 162-game season of his career. His second season in Atlanta, 2023, was the best of his career and one of the best of the decade so far. Olson led the league with 54 homers and 139 RBIs and finished fourth in MVP voting. That is the level the Braves need him at this season to succeed.
The National League East is not the Braves’ to lose this year. After a great regular season last year, the Phillies have high expectations. And the Mets finished above Atlanta last year without Juan Soto. If Olson can get back to his 2023 levels, they can come up and swipe the division from their rivals.
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