Three Atlanta Braves players that need to step up

Austin Riley

No one expected Austin Riley to maintain what he started when he burst onto the scene as a rookie that terrorized opposing pitching.

Major league pitchers make adjustments, and sometimes, those adjustments have the capability to shut a player down. That’s what started to happen with Riley in mid-June, and by the time the All-Star break rolled around, he was mired in a slump — a slump that’s continued.

It’s no longer a slump; it’s an adjustment that Riley has to make if he wants to be considered for the postseason roster. Not getting ahead of ourselves, an effective Riley would really boost the Atlanta Braves playoff chances.

Over his last 30 games, Riley has managed to hit just .167. A lack of walks puts his on-base percentage at just .204. In 93 at-bats, he’s struck out 41 times. Even with five home runs sprinkled in over the last month, it’s easy to see that Riley is a strain on the Atlanta Braves chances to succeed.

That is, unless he regains some of the form that enabled him to set the world on fire after his May 15 debut. The same Riley that hit .375 with seven home runs in his first two weeks in the major leagues.

Now, Riley has provided sufficient defense in the outfield, but since he’s not actually an outfielder, it’s easy to replace him with Ender Inciarte or Charlie Culberson late in the game- something that manager Brian Snitker has done often.

We don’t need the world from Austin- at the minimum, we need him to be a value bench bat, or someone that’s going to be a strong offensive threat when he’s platooned in, or gets a start. The maximum, of course, is that Riley produces something close to a .260/25/75 line with upside for more.

With improved play from the three players mentioned in the article, coupled with what fans know the Atlanta Braves are capable of, there’d be a good chance we’d cruise to a repeat in the NL East with an eye past the first round of the playoffs.