An overview of the 10 Atlanta Braves’ prospects making the Fangraphs’ top 100
By Clint Manry
Austin Riley (3B)
Sitting in the top-35 of the list, third baseman Austin Riley has been a player that all Braves’ fans have been patiently waiting to see make his debut in the Majors. At 6’3″ and 220 lbs., Riley has outstanding upside when it comes to power (rated as a 70 by Fangraphs).
He was taken 41st-overall in the 2015 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves and has moved up the ladder rather quickly in his time with the organization. In 2018, he got his first taste with the Triple-A team, playing 75 games.
At 21-years-old, Riley might make some kind of contribution this season. If anything, we could see him up for a nice cup of coffee in September to get some at-bats.
The Stats
Austin Riley’s first year in the organization (2015) consisted of 30 games on two different Rookie-Ball teams. In those 60 total games, Riley hit 12 home runs and hit to a tune of a .933 OPS (.304 BA) – a very nice start for an 18-year-old kid. He also hit 14 doubles and knocked in 40 runs.
As far as last season goes, Riley played on three different teams in the Braves’ organization. He played six games for the GCL (Gulf Coast League) Braves as part of a rehab stint, 27 games for the Double-A Mississippi Braves and 75 games for the Gwinnett Braves (Triple-A)
In total, Riley played 108 games in 2018 and hit 19 home runs with 70 RBI. He kept his batting-average up to a tune of .294 and finished with an OPS of .882.
His 127 wRC+ (runs created) in Triple-A alone makes for a lot of excitement regarding Riley’s future. The only downside is that Riley never posted a strikeout-rate below 25% while playing for all three Minor League teams in 2018. His 129 total strikeouts last season (455 PA) shows that Riley still has some room for improvement.
All in all, Riley has shown that he can hit advanced-pitching and would more than likely make a positive contribution to the Major League team.
The only thing that’s really in his way of making his debut to the Majors is the bottle neck currently at third base. With the newly-signed Josh Donaldson getting starts at the position and Johan Camargo‘s preferred position being the hot corner, playing time at third base will be scarce for Austin Riley.
However, the Braves have been getting Riley some work in the outfield to increase his positional capabilities. This development could help him get on the Major League field sooner.
The Verdict
The two gurus at Fangraphs (Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel) seem to like Austin Riley and his skillset. In their report they said this:
"Riley has big power, solid performance, and improved defense at the hot corner, so now is his chance to fight for a spot on the 2019 Braves."
"What sort of hitter Riley becomes is more a matter of choice for him, but we think he’ll end up in the .250 average, with an average OBP and plus game power, meaning 25 homers or so annually."
BaseballAmerica was even more bullish on him – noting his work ethic to vault him to the #1 prospect spot (subscription required) among the Braves prospects – above Pache.
The future looks bright for Austin Riley and it’s nice to see that the experts in the prospect industry look for him to have some solid power. Home runs and good defense is a hot commodity in the Majors, and it looks like Riley will be able to provide that.
Hopefully we will at least get to see some sort of playing time at the Major League level from the young third baseman this upcoming season. Whether it’s at third base or in the outfield, a chance to see a product of the Braves’ excellent prospect development is nice to see.