Matt Olson not among finalists for American League All-Star first basemen
The finalists for each position for the All-Star game were revealed by Major League Baseball yesterday. The league’s best of the best were voted in and will take their talents to Coors Field in Denver on July 14th.
With many of the selections being rather obvious choices, there were some surprise names left off of the finalist ballots. One name in particular: A’s first baseman Matt Olson.
Matt Olson snubbed on AL All-Star ballot
Olson has been making a strong case for his first All-Star appearance in 2021. The 27-year-old has been a key component of the A’s success thus far this season, leading them to a 47-33 record, just two games back of the first place Houston Astros. The 2x Gold Glove Award winner is currently slashing .296 with a .379 OBP and a .964 OPS.
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Despite what would be considered by many to be an All-Star worthy season, Olson finished fifth in the voting for AL first basemen, which instead consists of Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guererro Jr., Astros’ Yuli Gurriel and White Sox first baseman José Abreu.
To put into perspective how egregious it is not to have Olson as a finalist, let’s take a deeper dive into his 2021 season. In 74 games played, he has racked up 20 home runs, 53 RBI’s and 80 hits. Olson leads the A’s in all of those categories.
On a broader scale, Olson is second among American League first baseman in the following categories:
- Home runs (20)
- RBI’s (53)
- OPS (.964)
- XBH (38)
- WAR (2.9)
Matt Olson was snubbed, plain and simple. He at the very least deserved to be a finalist. Nevertheless, the mission still remains the same for Olson and the A’s: Compete for a championship.
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With the Astros’ recent 11 game win streak coming to an end last night with a loss at the hands of the Detroit Tigers, the A’s will look to capitalize and potentially end up in first place come the weekend.