Matt Olson has been moving steadily into the American League MVP race and as the team’s clear-cut All-Star. His performance in the A’s 6-3 win against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon catapulted him squarely into the frontrunner’s race.
Plenty of season is left to play, but Olson has not only been the A’s steadiest source of power and offense, but statistically one of the best bats in the American League.
Olson hit two home runs against the Royals. The first came in the third inning off his bat with a 107mph exit velocity, adding a run onto the A’s three-run lead earned on Matt Chapman’s home run in the first inning and Elvis Andrus and Mark Canha’s pair of two-out RBI hits in the third inning.
It was Olson’s second two-home run game of the year and 10th of his career. In the context of Oakland A’s history, Olson’s 121 home runs in 480 games is second most to Mark McGwire’s 122 over that span. José Canseco had 104, Matt Chapman 89 and Eric Chávez had 84 over their first 480 games.
In a league where power is key, Olson is sidled up with Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. statistically. His .984 OPS and his 18 home runs rank second to Guerrero’s (1.137 OPS, 21 home runs).
Opposing coaches and analysts will look to Olson’s advanced metrics as an indication that he’s settled into a role as one of the game’s best hitters. His 10.3 barrels per plate appearance ranks ninth in baseball — in other words, he’s getting a barrel on the ball frequently. His 93 mph average exit velocity ranks fifth, narrowly behind others by mere fractions. New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge ranks first with a 96mph average.
But Olson has always demonstrated power, but his consistency has shown through as he learns and adjusts to opposing pitchers’ thinking. Breaking balls and pitches on the outer half that he use to roll over he’s now stroking the other way or up the middle for hits. With more pitches in his wheelhouse, Olson’s strikeout rate plummeted from 31.4% in 2020 to 17.2% in 2021. His averaged jumped from .195 last year to .289 this year.
As manager Bob Melvin said of Olson, “A .270 average is the new .350.” The league’s batting average has been trending down as more pitchers throw high-velocity fastballs — the average in baseball is .238, on pace to be the among the lowest in modern baseball history.
Chris Bassitt didn’t have his best command on Sunday. The three walks allowed is the most he’s issued since he walked five against the Arizona Diamondbacks in April.
He also threw 41 pitches through two innings thanks to an arduous second inning in which the Royals scored one of their two runs on a hit that deflected off Bassitt’s side.
Bassitt was an out shy of completing a six-inning outing, instead issuing a final walk on four pitches with two outs in the sixth. He left the game with a pair of runners on and two earned runs allowed — the other run, an Andrew Benintendi opposite field home run — and Yusmeiro Petit cleaned up the mess using just two pitches. Bassitt struck out five and allowed five hits.
