When FanSided and MLB announced the 2025 National League Silver Sluggers finalists on Wednesday, Atlanta Braves fans weren't surprised by the inclusion of one of their cornerstone position players. After all, despite the disappointing performance from the club this past season, Matt Olson certainly was not part of the team's failings.
What did surprise Braves fans was that he was not the only Silver Slugger finalist on the team. But the second Braves finalist wasn't the NL Rookie of the Year favorite, Drake Baldwin, or superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr, who was excellent despite missing a good chunk of the season, but rather Austin Riley, the team's third baseman who turned in his worst season since 2020.