Olson enjoys productive and much calmer spring

So, does the baseball look like a beach ball this spring?

Matt Olson smiled. “I mean, it's always good to come out and see some success early,” said the first baseman who is entering his second season with the Atlanta Braves after being acquired from the A's last spring. “But, really, whether it's going good or bad, it's just the process of spring. Trying to see different pitches, get some at-bats under your belt and try to get some rhythm at the plate. It's good when success is happening. But there's a lot of factors. Some wind-blowing-out days. You're seeing some different guys, too. They're out there working on stuff, too, might not be the sharpest as well. Good to have the success, but (it's) really just about the spring training process.”

This is, as Olson said, spring training. The wind can be generous on fly balls. Big-league hitters also face tons of minor-league pitchers who are not as talented as the arms they'll see during the season. Plus, the big-league pitchers they do see now might simply be honing new pitches or adjusting to mechanical changes.

In some cases, spring training numbers cannot be taken at face value because context is needed.

Then again, Olson leads the Braves with six home runs in 32 at-bats this spring. He has a ridiculous 1.549 OPS in this miniature sample size. He's hitting .438 and slugging 1.063.

He has two doubles and 13 RBIs.

These numbers might be somewhat meaningful in that Olson, unlike last year, was able to settle into this spring. No trade speculation. No trade. No quick move after the trade. Less attention. For Olson, this spring has strictly been about baseball.

It's nice that his numbers look great, but more than anything, he's focused on his spring training process.

Olson, who turns 29 on March 29, is entering his sixth season as a full-time major leaguer. But he debuted with the A's in 2016 after he was a first-round draft pick by the club in 2012. He's been a part of many spring camps to this point and has adjusted his process accordingly.

ARCIA AT SHORT >> The Braves have apparently decided who will replace the departed Dansby Swanson as their starting shortstop. It's not who most people expected it to be.

Vaughn Grissom and Braden Shewmake were optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett. That leaves utility infielder Orlando Arcia as the likely replacement for Swanson, who left during the offseason for a $177 million, seven-year deal with the Cubs.

Arcia appeared in only one game at shortstop for the Braves last season, when he made 43 starts at second base and hit .244 in 67 games overall. He hasn't been a primary shortstop since starting 59 games in 2020 for Milwaukee, which traded him to the Braves the following April.