Matt Olson - First Baseman
While a small contingent of Braves fans may have been a little underwhelmed by Matt Olson’s inaugural season with Atlanta (I wasn’t one of them for the record), Olson left no doubt about his capability in 2023. His fourth-place finish in NL MVP voting came from his season-long display of power.
Olson played in all 162 games, slashed .283/.389/.604, and led all of baseball in home runs with 54 of them. Those 54 homers along with 139 RBI also set a franchise record. In the early portion of the year, Olson hit in the two-hole but his season really took off when he was moved to cleanup, so I expect no lineup adjustment for the top half in 2024.
Marcell Ozuna - Designated Hitter
The ultimate turnaround took place in 2023 with the Braves designated hitter. Marcell Ozuna was probably one bad week of baseball away from being DFA’d. But as many know by now a hot streak down in Miami sprung the Ozuna comeback season.
His numbers by season's end were some of the best in his 11-year career. Ozuna reached the 40 HR and 100 RBI threshold on the last day of the season, something no fan expected when he had a .095 batting average in late April.
Jorge Soler - Left Field
After the Braves declined to pick up Eddie Rosario’s $9 million option for 2023, they left themselves in need of a replacement left fielder. As I pondered who could fill the void in left field, a couple of names that have been rumored popped into my mind immediately. If the Braves prefer the defense and contact they could go the route of free agent Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
However, knowing how Alex Anthopoulos has prioritized building this team around the ability to hit a baseball very hard, a reunion seems possible. Thus the Braves could insert Jorge Soler back into the fold. Soler declined his option with Miami so this move won’t come without cost. Fortunately, AA said payroll is going up so this reunion isn’t an impossible task.