NORTH PORT, Florida — When he learned in November that he had won the Silver Slugger Award as the best-hitting first baseman in the National League, Matt Olson didn’t do anything special to celebrate. He doesn’t, in fact, remember what he did that day at all.
“I remember being told about it,” he said. “I thought, ‘That’s cool.’”
Speaking Sunday, the Braves first baseman couldn’t share his experience receiving the award, either, because he had yet to take receipt. He wasn’t sure if that was typical.
“I don’t know,” Olson confessed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It’s my first one. You’ll have to ask somebody else.”
That is a picture of Olson. After putting together a legendary season, Olson isn’t overwhelmed by his accomplishments or its accompanying hardware. Nor, for that matter, is he bent on trying to repeat it.
(It turns out the Braves have received the award and will present it to Olson — along with fellow Silver Slugger winners Ronald Acuna Jr. and Austin Riley — in a pregame ceremony early in the season).
Last season, Olson led the majors in home runs (54, a franchise record) and RBIs (139), was third in slugging percentage (.604) and 10th in on-base percentage (.389). Outside of the steroid era, those benchmarks had been reached by a player in a single season just six times before Olson, all prior to 1940. Despite that, he wasn’t impressed with himself.
About the furthest he went in acknowledging the staggering performance was saying that “it was cool” to recognize the small circle of greats he had joined by hitting 50 home runs and passing Andruw Jones — a player he had grown up watching — for the club home-run record.
“Once it’s done, you can reflect back on it and say it’s pretty cool,” he said.
But that was about as far as he went to pat himself on the back. I asked Olson if he had experienced a moment of disbelief over what he had accomplished.
“A lot of stuff needs to go right for you,” he said. “In a game with so many variables that are changing — you hit a ball well in one park, it’s an out and you hit a ball well in another park, it’s a home run. I think, uh, sorry, what was your question? I just talked myself out of it.”
OK. Let’s try again.
“I think everybody thinks they have years like that in them,” he said. “I think that’s the way you have to approach it. It’s not like I was surprised by it. But it’s also not like I’m expecting that to be the absolute normal. That’s what you strive for. That’s what, deep down, you know you can do. But it’s not like if I don’t do it, it’s a failure.”
To the degree it reflected Olson’s genuine perspective, it was a glimpse into a player who is confident and driven but also recognizes the capriciousness of the game. It is a healthy approach that will limit the amount of unnecessary pressure on his shoulders as the 2024 season approaches.
The Yankees’ Aaron Judge followed his 62-home run season in 2022 with 37 in 2023, playing in only 106 games because of injuries. After hitting 53 home runs as a rookie in 2019, the Mets’ Pete Alonso’s full-season totals have been 37, 40 and 46. After peaking at 59 in 2017 with the Marlins, Giancarlo Stanton’s high with the Yankees has been 38.
Olson may never repeat his 2023 season. History would suggest he almost certainly won’t. He is OK with that.
And, as the Braves follow a season in which they put together one of the greatest offensive seasons in baseball history, it would probably be best for all involved to similarly wipe the slate clean, not just for Olson but the team as a whole. No one will be surprised if Acuna reaches 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases again, but no one should be surprised — or disappointed — if he doesn’t. There’s a reason that no one in baseball history had ever reached the 40/70 plateau before last season — it’s because it’s really, really hard.
“I don’t think there’s expectations,” Olson said. “That’s the fun of baseball. Last year doesn’t mean anything now. You have a really good year and you show yourself kind of what you are capable of and what you believe, but it’s crazy how different years can be.”
In the offseason, Olson recharged for 2024 with purpose. He went to St. Lucia with his wife Nicole and teammates and their families and then after Christmas went on a safari to Kenya and Rwanda with Nicole and a friend couple. They hiked up a mountain to, in Olson’s words, “hang out with gorilla families.”
They also were charged at by a lion and a rhino in an open-air jeep.
“So, not cool in the moment, but cool now,” he said.
As for what cool moments await Olson in 2024 — cool not only later but also in the moment — only the season will reveal them. He spoke earlier in spring training about wanting to limit slumps and play better on defense. He has also played 458 consecutive games, the longest active streak in baseball.
“Every competitor has to believe in himself and you know that stuff like that is in there,” he said. “It’s like I said — every season is crazy how different it is. So I guess we’ll just have to see.”
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