Braves' best spring training development so far has nothing to do with the rotation

There is a lot that went into the Atlanta Braves failing to live up to expectations last year. Atlanta was coming off one of its best regular seasons in franchise history, and had plenty of motivation after a brutal early exit to the Philadelphia Phillies in the postseason. While the Braves were buoyed by their fantastic rotation, offensive ineptitude plagued the team in a way we had not in years. Atlanta pulled back massively, eventually going out with a whimper in the NL Wild Card Round.

Although I do expect for the starting rotation to regress to the mean a bit this year, even if the No. 5 guy ends up pitching far beyond his pay grade, the biggest reason why I am optimistic for the Braves' chances to compete is the offense getting back to what it usually does: mashing baseballs. And one player in particular seems ready to get back to his 2023 ways.

While Matt Olson's numbers were not all that bad by the end of 2024, Atlanta did not get the 50-plus home run guy at first base that they did two years ago. There were times where Olson could not hit a breaking ball for the life of him. He did figure it out a bit down the stretch to help the team qualify for the postseason, and he's picked up right where he left off at the start of spring training.

Let me know when you see this baseball land in North Port.

If Olson can swing the bat like this in a game that counts, the Braves could be back in business this season.

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Matt Olson looks like he has returned to 2023 form in spring training

With the way that Olson handles himself at the plate, he is never going to hit for a particularly high average. He will strike out a bunch, but there are few players in the game today where the ball explodes off the bat like his does. Olson is rather quiet, a bit calm and reserved in his demeanor. But when he's right, he can be the engine of an entire offense.

For the first month and change of the regular season, Atlanta is going to have to make do without Ronald Acuña Jr. being a part of its everyday lineup. Not until he is batting first and manning right field will the batting order feel complete. Olson typically hits behind Acuña in the No. 2 spot, as Braves manager Brian Snitker likes to rotate between right and left-handed hitters.

Ultimately, Atlanta is always going to rely heavily on the long ball. The Braves have so many power bats in their lineup, so why would they not? However, it is only when Atlanta is regularly driving balls in the gap is the offense really clicking. Being able to score runs in bunches in multiple ways is why this lineup can be so dangerous when it is firing on all cylinders. Olson going deep like this is part of it.

If Olson is closer to his 2023 self than what he was last year at times for the Braves, Atlanta is coming!