Matt Olson of the Oakland Athletics is set to open some more eyes in a short season.
Matt Olson is one of the most underrated players in all of baseball. It might be due to him playing for the Oakland Athletics, but either way, it is time for people to notice how great of a player he is. A strong 2020 could do that for him.
Matt Olson at the age of 26 has already established himself as the best defensive first basemen in the MLB without a doubt. He’s totaled 31 DRS the past two years to go along with Gold Gloves in both seasons. The closest first baseman was Joey Votto with 23 DRS the past two years.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
His 18.1 UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) is also by far the best in the MLB the past two seasons with the next closest being Brandon Belt at 7.1. He clearly is the best defensive first basemen in baseball.
Matt Olson paired with Matt Chapman across the diamond is an amazingly elite defense for Oakland.
Matt Olson is for sure going to continue his elite defensive play, but that paired with what he does at the plate is how he’ll become that big star. Olson is quietly one of the most powerful hitters in the entire majors.
In 2019, he hit .267 with 36 HRs, .896 OPS, .368 wOBA, and 3.9 fWAR in just 127 games. That’s on pace for over 45 HRs in 162 games. That is some major pop there. Not to mention that he hits the ball just about harder than anyone else as well.
His average exit velocity at 92.6 MPH was in the top 4% in the MLB last year. His 14.5% barrel % was also in the top 6% of the MLB. He simply mashes the baseball.
Olson’s .368 wOBA in 2019 is very good yet his xwOBA (expected wOBA) was much higher. His .390 xwOBA was 13th in the majors.
All of this shows how Olson is truly just one of the most powerful sluggers in the majors, but he’s just not one of those guys most people think about yet.
If he can stay healthy in this shortened season, this could be the season people finally start to notice the great player that Matt Olson is. I expect Olson to continue his trend with his hitting profiles and this means he should be set for a great 2020 season.
Don’t be surprised if Matt Olson is atop the HR and other offensive leader boards in 2020. You should also expect him to take home his 3rd straight Gold Glove. Matt Olson is becoming a true all-around star in the MLB and 2020 is hopefully the year more people will notice.