On Tuesday, when Braves right-hander Grant Holmes throws the first pitch of a game against the Marlins, Matt Olson will tie the great Stan Musial on MLB’s all-time list for consecutive games played.
Assuming, of course, Olson doesn’t encounter a series of unfortunate events that makes him unable to start his 895th straight game.
Olson’s name on the lineup card starting at first base has become a given since May 2, 2021, when his streak of consecutive games played began as a member of the Athletics. Olson hasn’t missed a game since, and while he abhors talking about the streak itself, his tireless work in the offseason is what has contributed to his durability all these years.
“What I’ve kind of said before is I feel like nobody’s going to be at 100%. Whatever your 100% is going into the season, you’ll be in a better spot,” Olson said Sunday. “But just trying to do things to stay healthy, listen to the body (during the season). Sometimes you need to work out and do extra. Some days you need to do nothing and go play the game, or get some soft-tissue work, or whatever it might be. I think that offseason stuff is a pretty big part of it.”
In December 2017, Olson, a Parkview High School graduate, began to train with Peak Performance Project, or “P3,” in Atlanta. It’s there that Olson is given a biomechanical assessment at the start, and end, of each offseason, an assessment that measures things such as rotary power, acceleration and peak lateral forces.
And what has stood about Olson’s data points over the years, according to P3 lead performance specialist Tom FitzSimons, is that while Olson isn’t necessarily showing gains in some of those numbers, the key is that he has held steady in the results for such a long period of time.
“(Olson) is working his butt off for three to four months every offseason,” FitzSimons said. “There’s sports science and there’s all the stuff we love to do and we’ll be nerdy about, but reality is (Olson) is a very consistent offseason worker. And clearly it’s translated to being the best and most consistent on-the-field player right now.”
Olson’s 10-meter sprint speed has remained in the range of 1.79 to 1.91 seconds since 2018. His rotary power, a measure of hip and torso explosiveness, has climbed about 24% over the years. His peak lateral force, or side-to-side push-off force, hasn’t declined in the past eight years.
What does it all mean?
The commitment to offseason training, and buying into the analytics behind it, has translated to Olson not just staying on the field, but continuing to be one of MLB’s premier players.
“There are some days he’s grinding it out, and it could be the middle of December during the holidays, and it’s the offseason, and you wouldn’t know the difference with Matt,” FitzSimons said. “He’s pushing it every day.”
Olson goes into Tuesday’s game against the Marlins at Truist Park batting .266 with 31 homers and 69 RBIs. He has an OPS of .883, 27 doubles, 50 walks and 116 hits. Aside from the batting average, all those numbers are team highs.
But it’s not just the production at the plate that makes Olson special. He is lauded by teammates, coaches and manager Walt Weiss for his ability to save runs at first base with his 6-foot-4 frame, his quick reflexes and awareness.
At times throughout the course of the season, Olson will take infield at third base or shortstop for a change of pace. Weiss recently regaled reporters with tales of how during spring training, players do a fun drill that requires the fielder to pass the ball between their legs from glove to hand before throwing to first base.
No one does it better than Olson.
“I keep saying he’s become one of the best players in the game when you take everything into consideration,” Weiss said. “The defensive side, he changes the game on defense. He changes the game in the box. He’s a leader in that clubhouse. Obviously, he posts every day. And he just keeps performing and producing. He’s a great player.”
Olson could pass Joe Sewell (1,103) for seventh on MLB’s all-time consecutive games played list in 2027. Billy Williams (1,117) is sixth and Miguel Tejada (1,152) is fifth. Olson, should he remain in the lineup for the Braves’ final 50 games, will reach 945 straight games played after the final day of the 2026 regular season.
Then, after the postseason (and the Braves are almost a virtual lock to make that postseason), Olson will get right back to work, just like he always does.
“It’s a pleasure to work with (Olson) at P3, we’re glad everything’s going so great on the field for him,” FitzSimons said. “And hopefully very late October, November, we’ll see him when it’s all over. But we want his season to go as long as it can.”
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