3 Atlanta Braves who will be better in 2024 and 2 who won't
By John Buhler
2 Atlanta Braves who will not be as good in 2024
2. Matt Olson will be tasked with breaking even more franchise records
I would like to start this off by saying what Matt Olson did at the plate last year was nothing short of extraordinary. He broke franchise records with his power. Olson made Andruw Jones' greatest year at the plate for the Braves look like a distant memory, and that man is going to be in the hall of fame one day. However, Olson is not going to slug something ridiculous like 50-plus home runs again this year.
Frankly, he does not need to do that. Atlanta traded for Olson to provide great defense at first with 30-plus home run power and the potential to knock in 100 runs in a good year. What I like about Olson now entering year three with Atlanta is he has made Braves Country completely forget about his predecessor Freddie Freeman. It is home for him. Olson wants to be here. He will make the most of it.
Admittedly, I debated including Acuña in this article because even I know how unprecedented 40/70 seasons are in baseball. That may not ever happen again. What I do expect is for Acuña to remain this team's most talented and most important player, one who is getting more and more mature as a professional with each passing year. Olson is a close No. 2 to him, but he is slated to pull back a tad.
If Olson pulls back to 30 home runs and 100 runs batted in, that still means he is an NL All-Star.