NORTH PORT, Fla. – At one moment in March of last year, news broke that the Braves had acquired Matt Olson, the slugging first baseman. Olson packed up his belongings at Oakland’s spring training site in Arizona and immediately headed east. Meanwhile, the Braves and Olson’s agent, B.B. Abbott, negotiated a long-term extension. Soon after Olson arrived in Florida, the Braves held a press conference to announce the extension.
This was a whirlwind.
Now, things are going much smoothly for Olson, which has been nice for him.
“It was all kind of rushed last year,” he said. “A lot going on, especially with the short spring, the lockout and stuff. This was nicer leading up to it, knowing the guys, knowing the staff, knowing where we were going to be, what the fields are like. Even the smallest stuff like that just gives you a little extra confidence. Being back, it feels like a normal spring is starting up again.”
Olson fit in with the Braves well last season. But after spending a year with the club, he’s more settled.
He has dealt with the pressure of replacing franchise-icon Freddie Freeman. During the season, Freeman garnered tons of attention when the Braves played in Los Angeles, then when the Dodgers played at Truist Park. Meanwhile, Olson played first base for the Braves, just as he had all season.
Olson succeeded and failed, experienced hot streaks and struggles. He played a key part on a 101-win team that went to the postseason but saw its season end early.
This was so much to take in during one baseball season.
“Honestly, I took some time to stop after the season,” he said. “When you’re in it, you’re just doing your thing. After the season, looking back, it was like, ‘All right, well, a lot went on in an eight-month span.’ It’s good to have a little more comfort. It feels like it’s just back to baseball again.”
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Added manager Brian Snitker: “He kept a lot of balls in the air last year, and how he handled the whole situation, I thought, was unbelievable, and I think he’s got to feel nice. We were talking about that the other day, like, where were you a year ago today, and all the speculation and everything.”
Olson is an established major leaguer. He is an All-Star who has won two Gold Gove awards. He called 2022 “another step of the ladder,” an analogy he used for his baseball career.
“You look at your career as you’re trying to reach the top of the ladder,” Olson said. “Down in Low-A, you start learning something about yourself and how you want to handle yourself and what you need to do to be successful. I honestly don’t think you get to the top until you’re at the end of your career and you actually know, and you take every step along the way as a learning experience and do what you can to be that best player.”
Soroka plays catch
Michael Soroka played catch Saturday, Snitker said.
“It’s just something there, too, we’re not going to push that,” Snitker said. “We’ll just make sure, when we get him out there and going, that we can keep up with him and keep going with him.”
Soroka reported left hamstring tightness when he arrived in North Port. This is spring training, so the Braves have lots of time.
“Unlike last year when we were trying to do a condensed spring training, now it’s good to have the full allotment of time that we have,” Snitker said.
Live BPs!
Ian Anderson and Jared Shuster both threw live batting practice Saturday. They both did one up-down, which amounts to two simulated innings.
Snitker said both pitchers threw the ball well. They faced Olson, Austin Riley and Eddie Rosario.
“He looks good, he looks really good,” Snitker said of Anderson. “It’s just good that he’s gotten back healthy. He’s been down here working all winter, so I think it’s good to kind of get ahead of the game a little bit with him as we go forward. Everything’s trending in the right direction right now.”
Asked what stood out about Shuster, Snitker lauded the top prospect’s command and change-up.
Anderson, on the other hand, is looking to use 2022 as a learning experience. He struggled, but might have gained something from the tough year.
“He’s not the first and won’t be the last that happens like that,” Snitker said. “It’s just part of the game.”
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Elder ditches the beard
Bryce Elder noticeably is clean-shaven. This is a change from last year, hen he grew out a big beard that made him look about five to 10 years older.
“I hated it, and the first night I got home (after the season), I shaved it,” Elder said.
Last season in the minors, he forgot his razor for a two-week road trip. At that point, he hadn’t been pitching well. He’d been troubled by inconsistency.
But he stopped shaving because he forgot his razor. And he began pitching well. And it continued. And continued. And continued.
So he kept the beard, but there were a few people who were not fans.
When Elder went home for the All-Star break, his mother and grandmother reacted by saying, “Oh no.”
Snitker also didn’t like it. The manager let the right-hander know it many times.
“He made some comments last year, and I kind of thought he was joking, and I realized he wasn’t joking,” Elder said.
But it worked, as Elder pitched well for the season’s final couple of months. In five starts for the big club in August and September, he allowed six earned runs over 32-2/3 innings, including a shutout of the Nationals.
The beard is gone, but Elder will carry the lessons from his rookie season into 2023.
