ATLANTA -- Braves first baseman Matt Olson knows a thing or two about hard work, dedication and perfecting his craft.
As a result, Olson was awarded the Braves' Heart and Hustle Award for 2025. The award, which is now in its 20th year, is given to a player from each of MLB’s 30 teams. The award is presented to the active players who "exemplify a true passion for the game and who best embody the values, spirit, and tradition of the game."
It's also the only award voted on by former players, as each team's winner is chosen by a committee of alumni. The overall winner will be chosen from the pool of team winners by a combination of alumni and fan votes and announced in mid-November on MLB Network.
It’s the second time Olson earned the award after winning it in 2021 with the Athletics. Olson went 1-for-4 with a single in Tuesday's 7-2 loss to Milwaukee at Truist Park after earning the award.
“It’s special to get awards like that,” Olson said. “I try to play the game the right way and come out here and compete the right way.”
Olson, who has started all 112 games for the Braves this year, has played in 732 (730 starts) consecutive regular-season games dating back to May 2, 2021. It is the longest active streak in baseball and the second-longest streak since 2007, following Miguel Tejada’s streak of 1,152 games from 2000 to 2007.
Since Olson joined the Braves ahead of the 2022 season, Olson has played in each of Atlanta’s 597 regular-season games (596 starts), which is the second-longest streak in the Braves’ modern era. The longest streak is Dale Murphy’s 740 consecutive games from 1981 to 1986.
"[My work ethic] probably starts with my dad and my brother as far as the athletic side,” Olson said. “I kind of had a couple of people along the way such as my [Parkview High School coach] Chan Brown. I kind of credit Marcus Semien a lot. He was the [veteran] in Oakland when I was coming up. He kind of expected everybody to be on the field. I felt like I had that in me already. When you come up to the big leagues for the first time, you kind of have to learn the ways of it. For him to set the tone there, I think it just kind of carried [over] for me.”
Matt Chapman, who was also a rookie teammate of Olson's with the A's in 2017, won the Giants' 2025 Heart and Hustle award, as did Semien with the Rangers.
“[Chapman] and I were in the same boat [as] rookies with [Semien],” Olson said. “I’m happy they both got [the award] too.”
Olson said that he could sense a good fit with the Braves' culture when he signed an eight-year extension with Atlanta in 2022 after coming over in a trade with the A's.
"I think they’ve had a good thing here even before I got here, as far as doing the right work and playing as often as we can,” Olson said. “I kind of just seamlessly fit in with that. It’s such a storied franchise. The tradition here precedes me.”
Growing up an Atlanta baseball fan, Olson had a chance to watch and look up to Braves legends.
"There was a good bit,” Olson said. “Chipper [Jones] and Andruw [Jones] were two of the big ones. I was a pitcher growing up too, so [John] Smoltz, [Greg] Maddux and [Tom] Glavine were pretty easy guys to watch and try to be like.”
Olson tries to be a role model himself when younger players get the call to the big leagues.
“We haven’t had a ton of young guys the last few years, but I think when young guys do come up, they see guys that are playing every day and working the right way,” Olson said. “It’s kind of a thing where I need to fall in line and do what veteran guys are doing. It’s kind of similar to how it was for me when I was a rookie. The tone gets set and guys figure out how to be big leaguers.”
Braves manager Brian Snitker called Olson the “ultimate pro.”
"He just comes every day prepared to play,” Snitker said. “He’s very consistent in his work and in his attitude. He expects to play every day and he epitomizes what that’s all about. He’s a pleasure for me to manage. You know he’s [going to] show up. You put him in the lineup, you don’t have to call him or ask him how he feels. He’s been a really great player since he’s been here.”
Olson leads the Braves with 111 hits, 18 homers and 68 RBIs, while his .809 OPS is also tops on the club.