MLB Pipeline announced its list of the top ten third base prospects last night and Atlanta Braves rookie Austin Riley slips in at number six.
Life of Riley
There was a lot of head scratching when the Braves used the their pick at # 41 to choose Riley last summer. A high school senior committed to Mississippi State, he was a two way player that Baseball America ranked him at #164 and their scouting report ($) called “. . .a riddle for scouts to solve. . .“
Most believed he would be drafted as a pitcher, after all he could sling a fastball at as high as 95 – though he averaged about 90 – and threw a breaking pitch that had “potential”. As a hitter he’d been inconsistent until his senior year when he developed better contact and listed at 6’3”, 230 pounds he had good bat speed and lots of potential for power.
Riley quickly began proving the Braves right smacking seven homers and posting a.255/.336/.500/.836 line in 30 games – 118 PA. Those numbers earned him a move from sunny Florida to Danville but the move didn’t slow him down.
At Danville he appeared in another 30 games posting a .351/.443/.586/.1.029 line with five homers in 133 PA and his K% dropped as well although it was still at the 25% mark.
On defense it was said he has the arm strength and accuracy needed to play third but would always be an offense over defense player and Rosenbaum’s comments seem to support that.
Writing for MLB Pipeline (linked above) Rosenbaum opined that Riley might have been the steal of this year’s draft.
"“. . .Riley, who hit 12 home runs over 60 games in his pro debut . . .(has) an explosive swing, good pitch recognition and easy raw power from the right side, he shows the makings of becoming impact run-producing hitter. . . Though he’s athletic for his size and moves well at third base, Riley’s promising bat would profile well at a number of positions."
Defensive metrics are scarce for players in the minors and fielding percentage is an imperfect metric but even giving him the benefit of the doubt his .919 while in the GCL followed by a .897 with Danville does show he needs to be better or the Braves need to find a position for him.
That’s A Wrap
Before we worry too much about Riley’s position we need to remember that he’s 18 years old and two + years younger than other players in the leagues he’s played in so far. Although the Braves need both a power bat and a third baseman there’s no need to rush him.
Rushing a young player like Riley could well stunt his growth, while the trend is towards brining up younger and younger players history has shown that it’s best to allow players the time to proceed at their own pace.
Next: Who's your fantasy. . at second base?
Riley is the third player so far to appear high on MLB Pipeline’s top ten positional lists. He follows Sean Newcomb and Kolby Allard who came in at number four and number ten respectively on the top LHP list last week. Tomorrow’s shortstop list will certainly have Dansby Swanson’s name near the top and there’s a real chance Ozhaino Albies is on there as well.
While this rebuild has been and looks like continuing to be extremely painful for fans, it’s be a very long time since the Braves had this many players in any top 100 prospect list. In the context the front office gets superior marks for resurrecting a virtually dormant farm system in under two years.