Reese Olson Bio
William Reese Olson is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. Olson made his major-league debut in 2023 after rising through the Milwaukee Brewers and Detroit Tigers farm systems, and he established an early reputation for strikeout capability and defensive skill in the minors, earning the 2022 MiLB Gold Glove as the best defensive pitcher in the minor leagues.
Early Life and Background
William Reese Olson was born on July 31, 1999, in Gainesville, Georgia, where he attended North Hall High School. He developed as a local prospect in Georgia before entering professional baseball after the 2018 draft, combining his high-school background with early professional seasoning in the Brewers organization.
Olson’s formative baseball years included rapid progression through single-A and high-A assignments following the 2018 draft. The canceled minor league season in 2020 interrupted on-field development for many prospects, including Olson, but he returned in 2021 to continue advancing within the system.
Path to Baseball
Olson was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 13th round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft, beginning his professional career in the Brewers’ minor-league system. Early assignments included starts with High-A Wisconsin where he gained innings and established strikeout ability, posting seasons with notable strikeout totals while refining his pitch mix and approach.
On July 31, 2021, Olson was traded to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for Daniel Norris and was assigned to the High-A West Michigan Whitecaps. The move into the Tigers organization aligned Olson with a new development path that included a full 2022 season at Double-A Erie and protection on Detroit’s 40-man roster after that year.
Reese Olson Career
Early Career (2018–2022)
After being drafted in 2018, Olson logged professional innings across the Brewers’ minor-league affiliates, including a 2019 campaign for the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in which he started 14 games and recorded an 84-strikeout season over 94 innings while posting a 4–7 record and a 4.66 ERA. The canceled 2020 season removed a year of game action, but Olson returned to work in 2021 with Wisconsin again, starting 14 games and recording a 5–4 mark with a 4.30 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 69 innings.
The 2021 midseason trade to Detroit placed Olson in the Tigers system with an assignment to West Michigan and later promotions that culminated in a 2022 campaign at Double-A Erie. Across these early professional seasons Olson mixed developmental starts with increasing strikeout totals and built a reputation for a durable starter profile that combined fastball velocity with offspeed offerings.
Minor League Breakthrough (2019–2022)
Olson spent the entire 2022 season with the Double-A Erie SeaWolves, where he made 26 appearances, including 25 starts, and compiled an 8–6 record with a 4.14 ERA while striking out 168 batters in 119 2/3 innings. That performance highlighted his ability to miss bats at an advanced minor-league level and contributed to his recognition as the 2022 MiLB Gold Glove recipient for defensive excellence among minor-league pitchers.
Following the 2022 season, the Detroit Tigers added Olson to their 40-man roster on November 15, 2022, to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The roster move reflected the organization’s assessment of Olson as a near–major-league-ready arm with both strikeout upside and strong defensive chops.
Detroit Tigers Breakthrough (2023–2025)
Olson began the 2023 season at Triple-A Toledo but was promoted to Detroit and made his major-league debut on June 2, 2023, as a starting pitcher against the Chicago White Sox. In that first start Olson allowed two hits and two earned runs over five innings while striking out six batters; he took the loss in a game in which the Tigers provided no run support. Over the 2023 season Olson made 21 major-league appearances, including 18 starts, and compiled a 5–7 record with a 3.99 ERA, a 1.119 WHIP and 103 strikeouts in 103 2/3 innings.
Entering the 2024 season Olson earned a rotation spot on Opening Day, making 22 starts and finishing the year with a 4–8 record, a 3.53 ERA, a 1.184 WHIP and 101 strikeouts in 112 1/3 innings. Those back-to-back seasons established Olson as a regular member of the Tigers starting staff and demonstrated consistent strikeout production at the major-league level.
Detroit Tigers Era (2023–Present)
Olson began the 2025 season serving as the Tigers’ No. 3 starter and made 13 starts before spending time on the injured list. During that stretch he posted a 4–4 record with a 3.15 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 68 2/3 innings, showing continued ability to generate swings-and-misses while contributing length to the rotation when healthy.
Player availability became a factor in 2025 when Olson was placed on the 15-day injured list in May with right ring finger inflammation, returned on July 4, and later was transferred to the 60-day injured list with a right shoulder strain on July 28. Those roster moves interrupted a season in which Olson had been a key part of Detroit’s rotation when active.
Driving Style and Strengths
Olson’s pitch mix includes a four-seam fastball and a sinking two-seam fastball generally in the 93–95 mph range and touching the upper 90s, a slider in the mid-80s, a changeup that runs in the mid-80s, and an occasional curveball. He pairs above-average velocity and swing-and-miss fastballs with a developing offspeed package, and his MiLB Gold Glove reflects defensive strengths that complement his work on the mound.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key moments in Olson’s early career include being traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Detroit Tigers for Daniel Norris on July 31, 2021, a strong 2022 season at Double-A Erie that earned a MiLB Gold Glove, addition to Detroit’s 40-man roster on November 15, 2022, and his major-league debut on June 2, 2023, when he struck out six batters across five innings.
Reese Olson Career Wins
Across Olson’s professional record through the 2025 season he has accumulated major-league totals reflected in a 13–19 win–loss record, 269 strikeouts and a 3.60 earned run average. His minor-league seasons include an 8–6 record for Double-A Erie in 2022 and earlier multi-start campaigns at High-A Wisconsin that produced significant strikeout totals while he refined his repertoire.
Major League Highlights
In the major leagues from 2023 through 2025, Olson reached 269 strikeouts and posted a 13–19 record with a 3.60 ERA across those seasons, including notable single-season strikeout totals of 103 in 2023 and 101 in 2024. Those figures demonstrate his capacity to generate swings-and-misses at the MLB level while providing rotation innings when healthy.
Other Wins & Perfromances
In the minors, Olson’s 2022 season with the Erie SeaWolves produced 168 strikeouts in 119 2/3 innings and an 8–6 record, marking his most productive professional season by strikeout volume and playing a significant role in his promotion to Detroit’s 40-man roster. Earlier stops included High-A seasons with Wisconsin in which he combined workload and strikeout production that positioned him for advancement.
Reese Olson Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Olson was raised in Gainesville, Georgia, and attended North Hall High School before entering professional baseball. Public sources document his Georgia roots and development through local high-school baseball into a professional prospect selected in the 2018 draft.
Personal Life
Public records indicate Olson married his wife, Autumn, in December 2025 in Gainesville, Georgia. Beyond that information, Olson maintains a professional public profile focused on his baseball career.
2025 Season Performance
Olson began 2025 as the Tigers’ No. 3 starter and made 13 starts, compiling a 4–4 record with a 3.15 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 68 2/3 innings before a right shoulder strain ended his season availability. Earlier in the year he experienced a brief stint on the 15-day injured list for right ring finger inflammation and returned to make additional starts prior to the later shoulder issue.
The 2025 season reinforced Olson’s ability to be an effective mid-rotation starter when healthy, blending strikeout ability with innings-eating starts, but also highlighted the impact of injury on availability and the Tigers’ need to manage his workload and recovery going forward.