Is Austin Riley the odd man out for the Atlanta Braves?
Offseason signings can often raise more questions than answers, and such is the case with the N.L. East champion Atlanta Braves.
The Atlanta Braves picked up an old friend in catcher Brian McCann Monday, but the signing that brings so many things into question was snagging free agent third baseman Josh Donaldson.
As one who frequently covers the Braves farm system, the first question that came to mind when Atlanta signed a former A.L. MVP was … what’s next for Austin Riley?
Riley, whose dominance in the minor leagues originally came as bit of a pleasant surprise, has quite literally done everything a power-hitting prospect can do to earn a shot at the big leagues.
Due to other pleasant surprises above his pay grade, though Riley has made his way up through the farm system at a steady rate, he has so far been denied a debut – and there’s no denying he’s been deserving for quite a while.
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The Donaldson signing could mean a couple of things for Riley’s future with the Braves. Either he will continue to leave all doubt and bash his way through spring to earn an opening day roster spot, or he’ll be traded this offseason with his stock as high as ever. What isn’t an option for Atlanta, however, is continuing to try and ignore his success and undeniable worthiness at a major league debut.
All parties know – from fans to fellow players and front office personnel – that Riley has left no doubt from rookie ball through triple-A that it’s time for a promotion. The 21-year-old Memphis native would have long-since been promoted in nearly every other system in baseball.
The problem for Riley’s future with Atlanta isn’t just with Donaldson, but with the success for Johan Camargo and even Charlie Culberson – both of which have the potential to be super-utility players at a reasonable price for the Braves. While Riley would be a cost-effective piece for several years, he doesn’t have the versatility and isn’t yet a known entity at the big league level – the latter point is through no fault of his own, of course.
Austin Riley can hit, Vol. 172773 pic.twitter.com/QbmbuPhhDy
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) September 1, 2018
I’ve been a big advocate of Riley’s rapid advancement since seeing him up close and personal during a full-season with Rome, a season that included a South Atlantic League title. With names like Acuna, Soroka, Fried, and Allard also on that 2016 team … for me, Riley stood out as a favorite to watch. His consistency and clutch performances stood out. For me, Riley has long been Atlanta’s eventual long-term solution at third base.
Through four minor league seasons (426 games), Riley has slashed .282/.347/.489 with 453 hits and 71 homers. A model of consistency, Riley has steadily hit for both average and power each and every season and at each and every level thus far. He’s known for huge bombs, and multi-homer games, while maintaining a respectable average and solid numbers across the board.
#Braves might give 3B prospect Austin Riley in the outfield at spring training, though GM Anthopoulos stressed that nothing has changed as far as joe they view him long term. Could give him opportunity this year if there were an injury and he was deemed to be ready.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) November 27, 2018
It’s rumored that Riley could play some outfield in the spring, as the front office starts the scramble of finding a potential home for everyone. It’s hard to see how all players in question could fit in Atlanta together with a stacked farm system knocking on the door below.
The rebuild is at the point where the biggest problem is an embarrassment of riches. While that’s a good problem to have, it makes for difficult solutions to complicated questions.
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Riley could be a valuable young piece to Atlanta’s future as a perennial contender for the N.L. East title and deep playoff runs. He could also serve as extremely tempting offseason trade bate to restock the farm with desirable prospects, or even as part of a big-name trade for a known entity. Barring injuries or other unforeseen circumstances in the third base logjam above him, however, a future in Atlanta – that once seemed inevitable – could be trending towards doubtful.