The Atlanta Braves will celebrate their third National League East division title with Matt Olson as their first baseman. The Braves All-Star spoke to Wiley Ballard of BravesVision about their season during the celebration.
“Last year left a sour taste in our mouth,” said Olson. “I felt the focus from first day of Spring Training. Obviously, we got out to such a good start. It’s a great group here; we can do some special things.”
The 2025 season served as a harsh reminder for Olson and the Braves. They endured a frustrating season, but that served as motivation behind their strong 2026 season. They’ll celebrate a division title with a week left in the regular season.
“Happy to be in this moment. It’s always the best when you’re celebrating such a long season and coming together to win a division.”
In 2026, Olson has enjoyed his typical strong year. He’s slashing .253/.324/.506 with 40 home runs and a 123 wRC+. He’s on track to post his fourth season of at least 4.0 fWAR since 2021.
Olson was named a National League All-Star in 2026. It marked the fourth All-Star selection of his great career.
Matt Olson on Walt Weiss’ Impact as Braves Manager
The topic shifted to the impact that new manager Walt Weiss had on the club. Weiss was hired as the manager after World Series-winning manager Brian Snitker stepped down from the job.
Matt Olson spoke about the impact that the new manager has brought to the team.
“He was probably our No. 1 person,” said Olson. “Between Walt and a lot of the new staff that we brought in, it’s been hyperfocus from the beginning.
“To have the focus, Walt talking about it, having that aggression in spring, I felt it all year.
“Obviously, you’re going to have some moments throughout the course of the season. It feels like we had a couple bad series, we go to a big series and we rise up to the occasion. Just proud of these guys.”
Weiss will be on a short list of favorites to win the National League’s Manager of the Year for the 2026 season. The other top candidate should be Milwaukee Brewers skipper Pat Murphy, who has won the last two awards.
What’s Next for the Braves?
The Braves will have an off day before they return to Truist Park. They’ll host the Cincinnati Reds for three games, then travel to Miami to finish out their season.
Atlanta will still push for a Wild Card round bye, but they are also four games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Most likely, they will play in the Wild Card Series against the Wild Card team with the worst record. Currently, that team is the Philadelphia Phillies.
In that scenario, it would be the fifth series between the two National League East clubs. The Braves won the regular-season series, nine games to four.
Braves All-Star Matt Olson Makes Honest Statement Amid NL East Celebration