Matt Olson, the first baseman of the Atlanta Braves, has been one of the most prominent power hitters in the league ever since he established himself in MLB, in 2017.
Even if he is not really a high average hitter (he is at .251 for his career), his power numbers and on-base prowess make him a productive offensive player.
The Braves deemed him Freddie Freeman’s replacement for a reason: he can hit home runs like few other players in the league.
In fact, after going yard on Tuesday night against the San Diego Padres – a truly mammoth shot, to be fair – he reached six homers on the season and 182 for his career.
MLB is full of statistical coincidences and fun facts, so yes, Olson is right on par with a league legend at this point of his career.
Matt Olson has hit 182 homers in 755 MLB games.
Babe Ruth hit 183 homers in his first 755 MLB games.pic.twitter.com/Pm89oflNdo— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 19, 2023
We are not saying Olson is anything like Ruth was as a hitter: it would be unfair to compare them.
We are saying that he has just about the same number of home runs in the same number of games played.
As simple as that.
Of course, after his 755th career game, Ruth went on to hit 531 blasts to reach 714.
Will Olson take a similar path?
Again, it’s unlikely under the current conditions, with pitchers throwing 101 mph and nasty breakers, but Olson doesn’t have to be Ruth.
He just has to be the best version of himself so the Braves can have a good chance to win every night.
The 29-year-old first baseman is having his best season yet, slashing .296/.405/.648 with the six home runs.
If he keeps that up, the Braves will be in good shape and he could have a career season.
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