Braves star Matt Olson just recorded a truly epic homer against the Cubs over the weekend, solidifying his MVP case for 2023.
The Atlanta Braves already have one MVP frontrunner in the mix: star slugger Ronald Acuña Jr. On Sunday, Acuna's teammate, Matt Olson, proved why he was deserving of the coveted award with an unbelievable hit out of the park.
According to Statcast projections, Olson's homer measured out to 453 feet, and the ball had an exit velocity of 110.1 mph. It marked his 39th homer of the season, good for the NL lead (Acuña has 14 fewer home runs), and Olson also has a league-leading 97 RBIs.
Olson's offensive prowess helped Atlanta secure a 2-0 win over Chicago and stay comfortably atop the NL East. As far as his position in the NL MVP race, he hasn't wavered too much. Per DraftKings, Acuña leads the pack with -1000 odds followed by Freddie Freeman (+700), Mookie Betts (+3000), and then Olson (+6000).
But after witnessing what could only be called a criminal and laws of nature-breaking home run from Olson (that ball had a family), it could be worth putting down a little money on Olson this year.
Braves' Matt Olson records a 453-foot homer vs. Cubs
The longest ever Braves home run was recorded by Acuña back in September of 2020, when he launched a 495-footer against Boston.
Acuña's still the favorite in Atlanta to be crowned MVP; however, the ridiculously casual way in which Olson makes deafening contact with the ball and then struts off the plate officially puts him close to Shohei Ohtani territory — that is, making the extraordinary look ordinary.
In 2023, Olson has been one of Atlanta's most productive hitters in an already dominant batting order, entering Sunday with a .966 OPS. He's slashing .264/.370/.605 on the year and has recorded nine homers since the All-Star break.
There's still plenty of baseball left to be played, but the NL MVP award could come down to a two-Braves-horse race.
The Braves face the Pirates today in what should be another scintillating offensive display from the World Series heavyweights.
