Going back to before the start of the 2022 season, Atlanta Braves fans have been engaging in one of the most annoying debates possible when it comes to Matt Olson and Freddie Freeman. It is certainly true that negotiations with Freeman went sideways thanks to his agent and that cost fans a long time fan favorite (and a great player), but that discussion often bleeds into unjustifiably trashing Olson and his contributions to the team.
Again, reasonable people can disagree when it comes to preferring one guy over the other, but there are those in the Freeman camp that seem to think that Olson has been completely outclassed by Freeman since he left town for the Dodgers.
Not only is that not the case, but Olson has been as good or better than any first baseman in baseball including Freeman over the last four seasons. In fact, as evidenced by his recent Fielding Bible Award, Olson has an ace up his sleeve with his defense that Freeman does not have.
Matt Olson's defense doesn't get enough attention from Braves fans longing for Freddie Freeman
This isn't an argument bashing on Freeman. By nearly every metric, both Olson and Freeman have been really, really good the last few years. Just look at how close the numbers are between the two first baseman since 2022.
Average | OBP | Slugging | Homers | rWAR (average) | Outs Above Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Matt Olson | .261 | .354 | .505 | 146 | 5.2 | 12 OAA |
Freddie Freeman | .310 | .391 | .516 | 96 | 5.3 | 5 OAA |
A cursory look at the numbers shows Freeman with an edge in most of the offensive categories except homers, essentially a dead heat when it comes to WAR, and a big edge to Olson when it comes to defense. Offensive production vs. defensive production and which defensive metrics measure that production are debates for a different day. Whatever the metric, Olson is clearly the better defensive player and his fifth Fielding Bible award of his career is just one piece of evidence of that.
However, one thing that does seem to stick out after a closer look is that Olson's defense as well as Freeman being four years old raises his floor significantly over Freddie. Over the last two years, Freeman has seen his offensive production dip overall in part due to injuries catching up with him whereas Olson still seems to be in his prime. Yes, Olson will have stretches where he will infuriate fans at the plate, but his numbers usually work themselves out whereas Freeman is starting to trend in the wrong direction.
Given that Olson is younger, cheaper, and as productive as Freeman, the Braves have to be feeling good about the choice that was forced upon them. Freeman is a great player and will have a strong case for the Hall of Fame when his career is done in all likelihood, but that doesn't mean Atlanta didn't do very well for themselves given the circumstances. That is likely to show even more as the years go on and Olson's glove keeps providing added value.