- 12 hours ago
Dukes & Bell discuss why it may be time to admit Matt Olson is just as good or possibly even better than Freddie Freeman was for the Braves and agree that it is not about not having love for Freeman and what he did for the franchise, however when looking at Matt Olson, you have to give him more credit in regard to the value to the club.
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00:00Look, the Braves lose last night, Mike, but who cares?
00:03We're still in first place.
00:05I mean, this is where we're living.
00:06But can we admit that Matt Olsen is as good or better than Freddie?
00:14Can we admit that the time since he got here and his production,
00:20I'm simply talking about on the field, guys,
00:22because last night, Mike, he hit his 300th home run.
00:26Look, I don't know about this Hall of Fame discussion
00:28because I think the standards have changed, right?
00:30You used to be able to hit or have to hit 500 home runs.
00:32You were guaranteed to get in the Hall of Fame.
00:34Now I think guys are 4, 450, depending on your career, you might get in.
00:38But the fact for me is I'm watching this game last night,
00:41and I'm like, man, Olsen has just been – he has been so damn consistent.
00:45Now, Drake has been on another planet.
00:47But Braves fans, look, we all love Freddie,
00:50but I got to take that out of this and just go Matt Olsen.
00:54Put him at first base, and if you closed your eyes
00:57and I showed you these numbers since he got here,
00:59you wouldn't be able to tell me if it was Freddie Freeman
01:01or if it was Matt Olsen.
01:03I think, Mike, we have to admit that
01:06because I think there are a lot of fans who maybe have discounted the –
01:10I don't want to say the performance, but his value to this team.
01:13Right.
01:14The only thing, and there's no way to quantify it,
01:16and there's no way to know unless we get in a time machine
01:18and make Freddie stay, is would things have been any different?
01:21You know, when the breaks were kind of tough in 23 against the Pirates
01:24or anything like that, how would things have been different, if at all,
01:27if it was Freddie?
01:28But that's it.
01:28But that's, again, that's an abstract conversation.
01:30Stats say that Matt Olsen is doing everything you just talked about.
01:34I said it about a week ago.
01:35You know, I had Freddie parting depression syndrome,
01:39whatever you want to call it,
01:40and now I'm over it because Matt is –
01:42you know, he's having an MVP-type year.
01:44You know, and he's so consistent, great with the glove.
01:47You know, and again, he's an Ironman in an era
01:49where everybody is so friggin' soft.
01:50Here's a guy who plays every night.
01:51You know, and that's part of the resume.
01:54So we'll see.
01:54I mean, right now, if he keeps putting these numbers up,
01:56yes, then he would be in Cooperstown.
01:58I agree.
01:59And the reason why I bring this up is, look,
02:01we have love in our city for certain particular athletes.
02:04Freddie's still on a pedestal, and I get it.
02:06He helped us win a World Series.
02:07He was a guy that was very special to this organization.
02:11But then he goes to the Dodgers, Mike.
02:12He's got two more, right?
02:14Right.
02:15He's not looking in the rear view.
02:16And my point is, when we could be complaining about what if we had a first
02:21baseman as good as Freddie Freeman, we do.
02:24We actually do.
02:26And that's part of this discussion as to why the Braves have been so good.
02:30Look, Acuna, 10-day IL.
02:31We know he's going to be out.
02:32But Acuna still, in my opinion, Mike, has not hit his stride.
02:35It's the other guys that are carrying this team.
02:37And last night you got home runs from damn near everybody, and we almost lost.
02:40I mean, we did lose.
02:42Even though, you know, you had back-to-back from Ozzie and Olsen, I just feel like when
02:46I look at Matt Olsen, just be—and maybe it's the demeanor.
02:49Maybe it's his demeanor as to why we don't give him the credit or the love we should.
02:54Parkview player, you know, local kid, having to fill in Freddie's footsteps, you know, it's
02:58tough.
02:58But he's a guy that, you know, is he demonstrative?
03:01You know, even the other night when they poured the Gator on him, I said, yeah, they
03:03had to do that.
03:04Okay.
03:04All right, well, you know, he's just—that's his style, man.
03:07He's a low-key guy.
03:08Like I said, it's not like for much of Freddie's career he ever said anything, you know?
03:12I mean—
03:13Can we talk about that for a second?
03:14Right.
03:15Can we talk about this for a second?
03:16For as much—because Freddie did exactly what Matt Olsen's doing.
03:20He showed up at the park.
03:21He played.
03:23We didn't hear from Freddie all the time.
03:26And that was the irony, Mike, about this whole being the clubhouse leader.
03:29You never heard guys say, yeah, man, you know what?
03:32Freddie's leading us.
03:33Freddie's the guy.
03:34All Freddie told you, you couldn't put your sunglasses on top of your cap.
03:37Okay, don't start.
03:37He can't cover the A.
03:38Don't start.
03:38Look, I mean, he was brought up a certain way in the system.
03:41He was a lifer in the Braves minor league system, and that was one of the things—look,
03:44I don't do—was there anything that had to do as any correlation with Freddie and his
03:48role on this team?
03:49And every time they'd leave Acuna out to dry when people would bean him because Snicker
03:52wouldn't lift a finger because there was a disconnect between him and Acuna?
03:55I felt that way.
03:56I always felt there was, and I talked to guys in the clubhouse.
03:59Some felt there was some funkiness.
04:00Others said, nothing to see here.
04:02Doesn't matter.
04:03Freddie's legacy is secure.
04:04Now we're wondering where Matt Olsen's legacy is.
04:06He's 32 if he can stay healthy.
04:07The average is a little low.
04:09I mean, the average would have to come up a lot because that's the kind of same career
04:12stats that Dale Murphy had that keeps him out of Cooperstown.
04:14Of course, he had two MVPs as well.
04:15So, you know, that's the one thing about Matt.
04:17He's had some—when he gets cold, he does get ice cold.
04:20But now he's having a career year.
04:2223 was a career season, and now this year he's batting 300 and all the other metrics,
04:26OPS, et cetera, and obviously slugging.
04:29And again, I'm not projecting because I don't know how long he's going to play, right?
04:33But here's the thing, just to double down on what you said to start the show.
04:36I said it last week.
04:37I didn't know where this was going to go with him.
04:40And now, obviously, I appreciate him, and I'm happy to be wrong about him.
04:44He is a rock star.
04:45This guy is everything you need.
04:46The only thing missing now is for this team to finish what right now is starting off as
04:50a historic season.
04:51Going to see the Dodgers here in a big litmus test this weekend.
04:54But this team, you know, and again, with a double down, more pitching at the trade deadline,
04:58this team has a real chance to win the World Series.
05:01I mean, on paper, the lineup and the reserves don't even match up with the Dodgers, but they're
05:06getting results.
05:07Yeah, I want to compare.
05:09I'm not going to because I know how 23 played out.
05:11But in 23, guys, we crushed this league.
05:13We owned everybody offensively, which is why we were favored going into that series against
05:18the Phillies, and then you guys know what happened.
05:20So we're a long way from that.
05:22But I just think as we look at this team and we talk about all these pieces and how it's
05:26made up and who we're giving credit to and who we're not, we don't acknowledge Matt Olsen
05:31enough.
05:33404-726-0929.
05:35And for you guys who are like, Freddy, Freddy, Freddy now, Freddy forever, great.
05:39He was great when he was here.
05:41But since Matt Olsen has come in, I think it was what, Mike, 22, 22, right?
05:46Because Freddy left.
05:47I mean, this dude's been, he's just been everything you could ask for.
05:49And I, the irony for me is, and I say this, Freddy really wasn't a media darling.
05:55He would answer your questions.
05:56He would do interviews.
05:57He was nice to the media.
05:59He loved the city, which is why he cried for three straight days when he came back as a
06:02Dodger.
06:03But Matt Olsen's the same dude.
06:05Matt Olsen answers your questions.
06:07He's nice to the media, Mike, but he's not, he's not trying to be the guy that, you know,
06:12is in the spotlight like that, like that all the time.
06:14And I just feel like he's underappreciated.
06:16I really do.
06:17And so, you know, moving forward, we got a guy now, it's funny.
06:20You know, I said the other day, I said, need Austin Riley to hit.
06:22I had a guy hit me up on Twitter yesterday.
06:24We don't say X.
06:24He's like, he was on pace for like 97 RBIs.
06:26Okay, great.
06:27He's getting paid a lot of money.
06:28That ain't enough.
06:29And, you know, we're expecting more than that.
06:31You know, now the guy that I think deserves some criticism is Austin Riley.
06:35And Grant said yesterday, Grant McCauley joins us every week.
06:37Talked to Tony Gwynn Jr. coming up.
06:38But he was saying that Austin's basically tried everything.
06:41Swinging at the first pitch, more discipline, you know, everything.
06:44The launch, the whole shebang.
06:45Nothing is working these last two years.
06:46Like it's supposed to for him.
06:48So, I mean, yeah.
06:49So, Matt Olsen, a guy that, yes.
06:51I'm now part of the Matt Olsen Appreciation Society, which I was very slow, I admit, to getting and joining.
06:56Yeah.
06:57Look, I'm not pounding my chest here either.
07:00I'm just simply saying, as you start to look at these numbers and how good this team is offensively,
07:05this dude, he's been the catalyst.
07:07He really has.
07:07And to lead the league in home runs and, you know, some of these numbers that he's putting up right
07:11now,
07:12it's just impressive, man.
07:13And 404-726-0929.
07:15You can text us as well at that same number.
07:18Follow Mike.
07:18He's Mike Bell, ATL.
07:20And I'm at Put-Em-Up-See-Dukes.
07:22And follow the radio show at Dukes & Bell 929.
07:24And, of course, this radio station at 929 The Game.
07:27Braves back at it tonight against Seattle.
07:29It'll be Bryce Elder.
07:30And we'll talk more about this with Grant and get into it a little bit later.
07:34But our four-game win streak gets snapped.
07:37The problem is, last night, we lose, right, because we put up three and then they put up five in
07:42the bottom half of the inning.
07:44But we've been so damn good, I'm like, eh.
07:46I mean, like, I'm not dismissing a loss, but the way things have been going, Mike, you're like, okay, we'll
07:51get on another four or five, six-game win streak.
07:53Because that's how this has been going for this team.
07:54Yeah, it was frustrating because, look, we're learning more and more about J.R. Ritchie.
07:58And the one thing he's going to have to cut back on is walks.
08:00He was doing pretty well.
08:01They staked him to a 4-0 lead.
08:03And then the bottom of the six happens.
08:05Pitch count was still manageable.
08:06And then he walks the first.
08:08You know, anybody from the time you play Little League, you can't walk the leadoff batter.
08:11Can't walk a guy with two outs.
08:12Well, he walks the leadoff batter on four pitches.
08:14Walks the next guy on five pitches.
08:15And boom, three-run jack.
08:17And so, again, it's a learning curve.
08:19We like his poise.
08:20He might have been lamped up.
08:21I mean, the pressure, because he had the entire family.
08:23That's his native area.
08:24In Seattle.
08:25But, yeah, he's going to learn.
08:26And he will.
08:27I think, you know, especially with this pitching coach we've got for the Mets, who's just really,
08:30really good.
08:31But last night was a work in progress.
08:33I'm not going to sweat it.
08:33But you're right.
08:34It does suck to have four solo home runs that you can't win.
08:37Yeah.
08:39But is he in the rotation for the long term here?
08:41How do you feel?
08:41Well, look, you know, I'll say for the eighth time in this season, maybe more, what John Smoltz
08:47always says, yeah, learn.
08:49And they feel he's further down the road than Didier Fuentes, so let him learn.
08:52I do, too.
08:53And to be quite honest, he's a higher rated prospect than Didier Fuentes.
08:57So, you know, the deal is, if anybody should be getting a shot, it should be J.R.
09:01Ritchie.
09:02And if he shows that he can do it, which he already has, I'm with Mike.
09:06You know, and Walt Weiss, I'm sure he said the same thing.
09:09You know, chalk some of that up to nerves, whatever.
09:11Remember, it's still a good start for a kid who's basically, you know, just getting to
09:16the show.
09:17And, you know, he gave you five innings last night against a really good hitting ball club.
09:21All right, man.
09:21More on the Braves as we move along.
09:23And real quick, about the Austin Riley Aubrey eyes.
09:25If you're going, look, 97 is enough.
09:27It's just not.
09:28But when you start talking about elite hitters, and that's what we're asking of Austin Riley,
09:33okay, in this league, you start talking about run producers.
09:38Guys, I'm talking about 120 or more.
09:41That's what, now you're getting into this conversation of being one of the best, not
09:45only at your position, Mike, but one of the best in the league, right?
09:48So when you start saying, all right, well, you should be a 100 RBI guy every year with
09:53his ability, but you start talking about 115, 120, okay, now we're talking.
09:59That's a big difference.
10:01Think about how many more games you would possibly win if Austin Riley was producing like that.
10:05So I'm not dismissing, oh, he's on pace for 97.
10:07That's great.
10:09But I'm looking for 35 or more home runs.
10:11I'm looking for 120 RBI, and I'm looking for close to a 300 average, Mike.
10:16And, oh, by the way, his OPS should be over 1,000, all right?
10:18I mean, look, guys, we've got players that aren't performing.
10:21The good news is the Braves are still the best team in baseball for last night's loss,
10:25but there's a major issue right now with Austin Riley's hitting.
10:28Now, the problem is there's no problem because you're winning.
10:31We get into the Dodgers series.
10:32We get into the playoffs.
10:33Can't have him doing this all season, so let's fix it.
10:36You know, the last guy expected, you know, at this part of his career to have this kind
10:39of patch was Austin Riley.
10:41You know, it seems like Money Harris has finally figured things out after last season.
10:44Remember that amazing adjustment, second half?
10:45Yep.
10:46Now Money is a full-season stud.
10:48You know, and fatherhood agrees with him.
10:49But Austin Riley, and the other thing, Austin Riley, look, I know he's a country boy.
10:52He's low-key.
10:53You can't get a read on him either, right?
10:56I mean, MVP, most vacuous personality, that would be Austin Riley.
11:00I mean, I'm not trying to be mean-spirited.
11:01He's just kind of, he's just that guy.
11:03Well, look, I would ask this question, though, and it doesn't bother me because they're in
11:08strokes.
11:08No, but they're winning.
11:09It doesn't bother me because who is a, of a garyous personality on this team?
11:16Ozzie and Ronald.
11:17Who are those guys that you just go, man, I love, every time this dude speaks, he's just,
11:21who's that guy?
11:22Ozzie and Ronald.
11:24I mean, but then, and Ozzie's, you know, he's had his own injury.
11:27He's having a fantastic injection.
11:29Ozzie's having an amazing bounce-back season from last year.
11:32Ronald is getting better.
11:33Yeah, for me, Ronald just has fun.
11:36I don't even know if the interviews are what do it for me.
11:39It's when he plays, he's having fun.
11:42Right, and we've got a guy that kind of encapsulates everything, and at some point, he'll emerge
11:46as a leader because, you know, you're just coming and getting in the middle of the club.
11:49I was going, I am your leader.
11:50But I think that guy in the future is going to be Drake Baldwin.
11:53Probably.
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