The Atlanta Braves are playing their best baseball of the season – and although it wasn’t enough to save them from snapping their seven-year playoff streak – it has provided optimism for 2026 and, frankly, has been a heckuva a lot more fun that most of the season had been.
By sweeping both the Washington Nationals and Detroit Tigers, there was no shortage of players who were outstanding over the past seven games.
Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim is showing why his claiming could be such a shrewd move for the
Braves, with a 1.015 OPS and two home runs this week. It is no lock he will pick up his player option, but if not, hopefully he can find a way back to Atlanta next season.
Rookie third baseman Nacho Alvarez, Jr. missed Sunday’s game after a phenomenal game Saturday that included his first two career home runs and a game-tying single with two-out in the ninth inning.
Fellow rookie, catcher Drake Baldwin, has rallied back after a slump with a week where he slashed .393/.433/.857 with three home runs, 12 RBI, a triple, two doubles and seven runs scored. This week has boosted his National League Rookie of the Year campaign, which is likely to be a tight vote between he and Cubs pitcher Cade Horton.
Outfielder Ronald Acuña, Jr. has also belted out of a rough couple of weeks to the tune of a 1.225 OPS that included two home runs and a whopping nine walks. He also stole two bases and scored eight runs.
Relievers Tyler Kinley and Raisel Iglesias both appeared in three games with Kinley picking up a win and Iglesias collecting a couple of saves. They have both been nails since August.
Starter Spencer Strider started twice and allowed only one run, striking out 12 in 12 innings. Encouraging signs for the young hurler whose year has been uneven has he recovered from injuries.
This week, however, one player was just a little better than everyone else – and it is a familiar name.
Battery Power Braves Player of the Week: Matt Olson
First baseman Matt Olson has been outstanding for the past month – and even more so during the past two weeks. Again this week, he was the team’s best offensive performer, although by much slimmer margins than last week.
For the week, Olson had a slash line of .400/.486/.900 for a 1.386 OPS. He led the team with 12 hits, tied for the lead with nine runs scored with Kim, tied Baldwin for the lead with three home runs, was behind Baldwin with 10 RBI, was second to Acuña, Jr. in batting average and on-base percentage and paced the team in slugging and OPS. He also tripled.
He got a hit in all but one game this week and had three games with two-or-more hits. His best game of the week was on Monday against the Nationals when he went 4-for-5 with two doubles and a home run, driving in four.
With six games remaining, Olson is ever-so-close to a several milestone individual numbers. He’s five runs shy of 100, needs seven RBI for 100 and has 28 home runs.
He has a real shot at leading the National League in doubles and could set a career high in hits and doubles if his hot streak can continue through next Sunday.
