(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The Atlanta Braves have been the best and most explosive offensive team in baseball this season.
Navigating through their lineup is one of the most dangerous things in professional sports at the moment.
A big part of their success stems from the star-power they boast, mainly thanks to two players: Ronald Acuna Jr. and Matt Olson.
We have talked about Acuna many times: he is a legitimate MVP candidate this year and, as far as power-speed numbers go, he represents the league’s most impressive performer.
How about Olson, though?
He has been marvelous all year long and is accumulating merits to be considered one of the leading horses in the MVP race, too.
According to the league’s official Twitter feed, Olson is on pace to set not one, but two modern era franchise records.
Matt Olson is on pace to set TWO Modern Era @Braves franchise records.
Is he the National League’s Most Valuable Player?
(MLB x @MattressFirm) pic.twitter.com/73s2HW1iLK
— MLB (@MLB) August 18, 2023
According to current projections, Olson is on pace to finish with 58 home runs and 144 RBI.
Those are crazy numbers, almost video-game-like.
To this day, he is slashing .274/.385/.615 with 43 home runs, 107 RBI, and a 1.000 OPS.
It has been the best season of his career.
Is it enough to take the MVP award from his more dynamic teammate?
Only time will tell, but the players will have about a month-and-a-half to gain some separation.
With two legitimate MVP candidates and a boatload of talented offensive performers and pitchers, it’s no wonder the Braves have the best record in baseball at 78-42.
In fact, if Olson picks up the pace a little bit, he might actually pass Aaron Judge’s home run output from last season: 62.
The post Matt Olson Remains On A Historic Pace appeared first on The Cold Wire.