MLB Power Rankings: Top 25 players under 25

ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 17: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) hits a fly ball to left field for an out in the fourth inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays played on May 17, 2018 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

9 of 25

TORONTO, ON – MAY 19: Matt Olson #28 of the Oakland Athletics hits a single in the fourth inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on May 19, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

17. Matt Olson

The 2017 season was the year of the rookie home runs. Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger both set league records with their final tallies, but Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson was not far behind. In only 59 games, he hit 24 out and slugged .651. Despite playing roughly a third of the season, he still finished fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting.

Olson has not quite matched his rookie fireworks to start 2018, but there’s no reason to write him off as a one-hit wonder just yet. Obviously no one homers every 7.8 at-bats for their entire career, so a regression to the mean was in the cards for the 24-year-old. Olson has hit just .238/.326/.417 this season with seven home runs.

MLB pitchers will catch up to Olson, who was never a high-average hitter in the minor leagues. He typically hovered between .250 and .260 but with a good eye and plenty of pop. That’s the exact same profile he has brought to the A’s in his brief career.

The A’s don’t need Olson or any of their hitters to bat .300 to win. As long as the on-base percentage stays up and the power is there, Olson will have a future in Oakland. The A’s have a fun, young lineup that can score runs in bunches, and Olson fits right in with the three-true-outcome bunch.

Home/MLB