Entering Sunday, Matt Olson’s 28 home runs led the National League and ranked second in baseball behind Shohei Ohtani’s 30 homers. Olson, who possesses elite power, is one of the sport’s top sluggers.
This would seem to make Olson a prime candidate for the Home Run Derby, which puts baseball’s best power hitters on display.
MLB apparently thought so.
The league was interested in Olson participating in the event, but the Braves’ first baseman declined. He’s been pleased with his swing and how he’s felt at the plate recently, and doesn’t want to mess with that.
The Home Run Derby is like maximum-effort batting practice. There’s always been a debate about whether the event can be detrimental to a player’s swing.
At this point, Olson is in a good place at the plate and doesn’t want to do anything to detract from that.
MLB is set to announce the full All-Star teams on Sunday evening. Olson, who lost the fan vote to Freddie Freeman for a starting spot in the All-Star Game, could be selected to the NL squad.
And even if he were to have participated in the Home Run Derby, he wouldn’t have had to be an All-Star.
In 2021, Olson, then a member of Oakland, hit in the Derby. He faced Trey Mancini in the first round, and narrowly missed advancing to the second round.
Along with the home runs, Olson entered Sunday leading MLB with 68 RBIs. His .928 OPS ranked fifth in the sport. After his incredible series in Cincinnati, Olson said there’s a balance between working on mechanics – with analytical information – while avoiding paralysis by analysis and ensuring he feels good.
“Yeah, there is a fine line,” Olson said on June 25. “I think for me personally and a lot of guys, if you trust the work that you’re doing and believe you’re going in the right way, it’s a lot easier to get out of that kind of stuff and go play the game and let a week or two go by, and see where your work takes you. But if you start questioning if you’re on the right track or in the right lane, that’s when you get a little more mechanical (with) stuff. Right now, I’m in a place where I’m trusting the work and I’m going out and I’m truly competing.”
Before Sunday, Olson had hit 10 home runs, and had driven in 23 runs, over his last 14 games. He also had five doubles and a triple in that span.
As of Sunday morning, the confirmed Home Run Derby participants are the Mariners’ Julio Rodríguez, the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts, the Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Rays’ Randy Arozarena.
The Home Run Derby is on July 10 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. The All-Star Game is on July 11.
Braves starting pitchers for the Cleveland series
On Wednesday, Kolby Allard started. On Friday, Michael Soroka took the ball.
Both pitched well.
Both earned another start.
The Braves on Monday begin a three-game series in Cleveland. In order, they will start Bryce Elder, Allard and Soroka.
If the Braves stayed with their current order, they would start Charlie Morton, Spencer Strider and Elder – their top three starters at this point – versus the Rays in the final series before the All-Star break.
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