Matthew Kent Olson (born March 29, 1994) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

for the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

. Olson was drafted by the Athletics in the first round of the

2012 MLB draft The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto R ...

, and made his MLB debut with them in 2016. After six seasons with the Athletics, he was traded to the Braves prior to the 2022 season and signed an eight-year contract extension. Olson has won two

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

s, three

Fielding Bible Award A Fielding Bible Award recognizes the best defensive player for each fielding position in Major League Baseball (MLB) based on statistical analysis. John Dewan and Baseball Info Solutions conduct the annual selection process, which commenced in 2 ...

s, and was an All-Star in 2021.

Early life

Olson is the second son of Scott and Lee Olson. Scott Olson served as his sons' youth baseball coach, until high school. Matt Olson's older brother, Zack, later pitched for the

Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Harvard College. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2013, there were 42 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than at ...

. Matt Olson attended Parkview High School in

Lilburn, Georgia Lilburn is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. The population was 14,502 at the 2020 census. The estimated population was 12,810 in 2019. It is a part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. Geography Lilburn is located in western Gw ...

, where he played first base and pitched for the Parkview Panthers, leading them to back-to-back state championships in 2011 and 2012. Olson finished his high school career with a .431

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

, 44 doubles, 45

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

, 168

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

(RBIs), and a

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

over 0.980. He holds the Parkview High School and Gwinnett County records for wins and RBIs. His

uniform number In team sports, the number, often referred to as the uniform number, squad number, jersey number, shirt number, sweater number, or similar (with such naming differences varying by sport and region) is the number worn on a player's uniform, to ...

, No. 21, was retired by Parkview High School in February 2019. After graduating from high school with honors in 2012, Olson was drafted by the

in the first round of the

2012 Major League Baseball draft The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto R ...

. He had committed to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

, but ultimately decided to forgo his commitment to the

Commodores Commodores are an American funk and soul band, which were at their peak in the late 1970s through the mid 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed with Motown in ...

and signed with Oakland.

Professional career

Minor leagues

Olson made his professional debut that season with the

Arizona League Athletics The Arizona Complex League Athletics are a Minor League Baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, which plays as a Rookie-level team in the Arizona Complex League and has served as a farm team for the Oakland Athletics organization since 1988. Th ...

and also played for the

Vermont Lake Monsters The Vermont Lake Monsters are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Burlington, Vermont. From 1994 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL). They play their home games at Centennial Field, on ...

that first season. In total, he played in 50 games and hit .282/.352/.521 with nine home runs and 45 RBIs. In 2013, Olson played with the

Beloit Snappers The Beloit Sky Carp are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Beloit, Wisconsin, and play their home games at ABC Supply Stadium. They previously played at Harry C ...

. In 134 games he hit .225/.326/.435 though still hit 23 home runs while driving in 93 RBIs. Olson played the 2014 season with the

Stockton Ports The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at Ba ...

. Throughout the season he was among the home run leaders in Minor League Baseball, as during the season he batted .262/.404/.543 with 37 home runs and 97 RBIs in 138 games, leading all minor leaguers with 500 or more plate appearances with a walk percentage of 18.5%. He played the 2015 season with the

Midland RockHounds The Midland RockHounds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Midland, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Momentum Bank Ballpark, whic ...

where he hit .249 with 17 home runs and 75 RBIs in 133 games. Olson played the entire 2016 minor league season with the

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

. In 131 games, he batted .235 with 17 home runs and 60 RBIs.

Oakland Athletics

The Athletics purchased Olson's contract on September 12, 2016, and he was called up to the major league club. He played in 11 games for Oakland. In 2017, Olson split time between Nashville and Oakland. In 79 games for Nashville he batted .272 with 23 home runs and 60 RBIs, and in 59 games for Oakland, he hit .259 with 24 home runs and 45 RBIs. With Oakland he hit 13 in the month of September (a rookie record) and one in five straight games. It was tied for third-most home runs in a player's first 65 career games in MLB history. Olson spent all of 2018 with Oakland, playing in all 162 games. On April 18, Olson hit his first career walk-off, an RBI single to secure a 12–11 comeback win over the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

. His first walk-off home run came in a game against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

on August 17. On September 26, he hit his first career grand slam in a 9–3 victory over the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

. Olson finished his 2018 campaign batting .247 with 29 home runs and 84 RBIs. He also won his first

, leading all AL first basemen with 14 defensive runs saved and an 11.6

ultimate zone rating Ultimate zone rating (UZR) is a sabermetric statistic used to measure fielding. It compares the event that actually happened (hit/out/error) to data on similarly hit balls in the past to determine how much better or worse the fielder did than the "a ...

. Olson played in both games of the 2019 Opening Series in

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

. During the second game on March 21, he was removed from the game after he felt pain in his right hand. The next day, he underwent successful surgery to remove the

hamate bone The hamate bone (from Latin hamatus, "hooked"), or unciform bone (from Latin ''uncus'', "hook"), Latin os hamatum and occasionally abbreviated as just hamatum, is a bone in the human wrist readily distinguishable by its wedge shape and a hook-l ...

from the hand, returning to the lineup on May 7. He batted .267/.351/.545 for the 2019 season. On defense, he had a 13 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) rating, the best in the major leagues among first basemen. He received his second consecutive Gold Glove Award for his defensive performance. On July 24, 2020, Olson hit the first Opening Day walk-off grand slam since 1986. Olson struggled in the 2020 season shortened by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, batting .195, although he led the Oakland A's in games played (60), home runs (14) and RBIs (42). In 2021, Olson led the team in games played (156), hits (153), home runs (39), RBIs (111), walks (88) ranked second for batting average (.271) and on-base percentage (.371) and led the team in slugging percentage (.540). Olson was also selected for the 2021 Major League Baseball All-Star Game to represent the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

and participated in the 2021 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby. Olson was a finalist for the

Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters cons ...

and for the

Atlanta Braves

On March 14, 2022, the Athletics traded Olson to the

in exchange for

Cristian Pache Cristian Rafael Pache ( ; born November 19, 1998) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020 with the Atlanta Braves. Early life Pache, the second of ...

Shea Langeliers Shea Ryan Langeliers (born November 18, 1997) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022. He played college baseball for the Baylor Bears. Amateur career ...

Joey Estes Joseph Lee Estes (born October 8, 2001) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Oakland Athletics organization. Amateur career Estes attended Paraclete High School in Lancaster, California. As a freshman in 2016, he compiled a 1.0 ...

, and

Ryan Cusick Ryan Cusick (born November 12, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Oakland Athletics organization. He played college baseball for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons baseball, Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Amateur career Cusick bega ...

. The next day, Olson signed an 8-year contract extension worth $168 million. At the time it was announced, the extension was the largest contract in team history, surpassing an eight-year deal worth $135 million signed by

Freddie Freeman Frederick Charles Freeman (born September 12, 1989) is an American-Canadian professional baseball first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, Freeman played for the Atlanta Braves for 12 seasons. He mad ...

in 2014. Its length and total value were exceeded by a contract given to teammate

Austin Riley Michael Austin Riley (born April 2, 1997) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Braves selected him in the first round, 41st overall, of the 2015 MLB Draft. Born in Memphis ...

later that season. Olson primarily wore the number 28 jersey with the Oakland Athletics, and used the same number upon signing with the Braves. Olson started wearing number 28 upon his 2017 major league promotion to Oakland because his preferred number (21), which he wore to honor

Jeff Francoeur Jeffrey Braden Francoeur (; born January 8, 1984), nicknamed "Frenchy", is an American former professional baseball right fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royal ...

, was then being used by Stephen Vogt. Olson was one of two players in Major League Baseball to appear in all 162 games of the 2022 season, alongside teammate

Dansby Swanson James Dansby Swanson (born February 11, 1994) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves. The Arizona Diamondbacks selected him firs ...

, who made 162 starts.

Personal life

Olson and his wife Nicole married in November 2021. They reside in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Olson, Matt 1994 births Living people People from Lilburn, Georgia Sportspeople from the Atlanta metropolitan area American League All-Stars Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Major League Baseball first basemen Gold Glove Award winners Oakland Athletics players Atlanta Braves players Arizona League Athletics players Vermont Lake Monsters players Beloit Snappers players Stockton Ports players Mesa Solar Sox players Midland RockHounds players Nashville Sounds players