Matt Olson can be a truly frustrating hitter for Atlanta Braves fans to watch. Sometimes when the stars align, Olson looks completely unstoppable, but he also can have long stretches where he comes up empty. Through the first 14 games of the month of May, it looked like this was going to be yet another barren period of the season for him. However, the Braves' series against the Red Sox seems to have woken Olson's bat up.
Through May 15, Olson's numbers were pretty brutal for the month. While there was a fair bit of bad batted ball luck involved, there are only so many ways to sugarcoat a .173/.254/.365 slash line through 59 plate appearances. A healthy walk rate kept things passable-ish, but it was not a good stretch for a guy the Braves were banking on being a major source of power in their lineup.
Once Olson got to Boston, he looked like a new man and now looks poised to make memories of his rocky start to May fade away.
Matt Olson's rampage in Boston may be only the beginning
After going 9-52 to start the month of May, Olson went off against the Red Sox. Across the three game series, Olson went 7-12 with two homers, four RBI, and just three strikeouts. While a number of Braves hitters performed well in Boston including Drake Baldwin who we guess is a ROY favorite now,
There were already signs that Olson could break out soon before his rampage over the weekend. He has been hitting the ball all year long and his strikeout numbers weren't particularly egregious. It was only a matter of time before he started lifting the ball more and dialed in his timing. One hopes that his performance can carry on for an extended stretch.
At least, that is what the Braves need to be hoping. With Ronald Acuna Jr. likely to return this week, Atlanta is finally going to have the lineup they envisioned at the start of the season with the notable exception of Jurickson Profar because he went and got suspended. If last weekend is any indication and Olson is getting going at the same time, prepare to see some fun offensive games for a change of pace.