Braves React to Matt Olson’s Silver Slugger Finalist Nod

The Atlanta Braves have reacted to Matt Olson being named a 2026 Silver Slugger finalist at first base.

The official Braves account on X posted the news Thursday morning.

Olson is one of three finalists for the National League Silver Slugger Award at first base.

The other finalists are Jake Bauers, Alec Burleson, and Rafael Devers.

This is Olson's fourth time being named a Silver Slugger finalist in his career.

He has won the award outright one time, in 2023.

That season, he hit 54 home runs and posted an OPS close to 1.000.

His career winning rate as a finalist is 25 percent.

The Silver Slugger Award is given annually to the best offensive player at each position in each league.

It is voted on by MLB managers and coaches.

Voters cannot choose players from their own team.

The award winners will be announced on November 17, 2026.

Olson has already had a busy award season in 2026.

He has already won a Fielding Bible Award and a Gold Glove Award.

A Fielding Bible Award recognizes defensive excellence at each position.

A Gold Glove Award is the top defensive honor in MLB.

Being nominated for both a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger in the same season is rare.

It means a player is elite on both offense and defense.

Olson finished the 2026 season with a .251 batting average.

He had a .321 on-base percentage.

His slugging percentage was .502.

His OPS was .823.

He hit 41 home runs.

He collected 93 RBIs.

He finished tied for sixth place in MLB for home runs.

He led the National League in home runs.

His slugging percentage placed him second among eligible first basemen in the NL.

His Isolated Power was .251, also second in the NL among first basemen.

Isolated Power measures a player's raw power by subtracting batting average from slugging percentage.

His wOBA was .351.

His xwOBA was identical at .351.

His wRC+ was 122, meaning he was 22 percent above league average.

Olson played all 162 games in 2026.

He has played all 162 games in every season he has worn a Braves uniform.

That streak covers five seasons.

The Braves had a bounceback year in 2026.

They went from a 76-86 record in 2025 to 94-68 in 2026.

They won the National League East decisively.

Olson was a key part of that turnaround.

The first baseman is 32 years old.

He will turn 33 at the start of the 2027 season.

He has shown no sign of slowing down.

Olson is in year five of an eight-year, $168 million contract.

He signed that contract with Atlanta in March 2022.

The deal followed his trade from the Oakland Athletics.

Since 2022, Olson has hit the fifth-most home runs in MLB with 187.

That puts him behind only Pete Alonso, Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, and Kyle Schwarber.

Kyle Schwarber is also a Silver Slugger finalist this season.

Olson has been called the face of the franchise over the last five seasons.