Matt Olson Joins Lake Monsters

BURLINGTON, VT --- First baseman Matt Olson has been promoted from the Arizona League Athletics and will join the Vermont Lake Monsters for the last five games of the 2012 season, the New York-Penn League team announced today. Olson was taken with the 47th pick in the first-round of the 2012 draft by the Oakland Athletics out of Parkview High School in Georgia.

Olson is the third 18-year-old first-round pick for the Athletics to play for the Lake Monsters this season, joining infielders Addison Russell (11th overall pick) and Daniel Robertson (34th overall). In addition, both of Oakland's 2012 second-round picks are currently with Vermont: catcher Bruce Maxwell (62nd overall) and pitcher Nolan Sanburn (74th overall).

The left-handed hitting Olson hit .282 (50-for-177) with 29 runs, 16 doubles, eight homers and 41 RBI in 46 games for the Arizona League Athletics. The Arizona A's finished their season with a league-best 37-17 record and won their semifinal game before falling to the Arizona Rangers 3-1 in the championship game on Friday.

Olson was taken in the 2012 draft after hitting .386 with 25 runs and 42 RBI for Parkview High School this spring, while also going 11-0 with a 1.23 ERA on the mound. Olson led Parkview to back-to-back Georgia Class AAAAA titles by hitting tie-breaking home runs in the seventh innings of the title clinching games in both 2011 and 2012.

The Lake Monsters host the Stedler Division champion Tri-City ValleyCats Saturday and Sunday before wrapping up the 2012 season with a three-game series against the Aberdeen Ironbirds Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Game time for all five games is 6:05 pm at historic Centennial Field.