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The Wildcard: How Austin Riley can make or break the Atlanta Braves season

By Kyle Walter

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 07: Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves fields a ball against the Washington Nationals at SunTrust Park on September 07, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 07: Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves fields a ball against the Washington Nationals at SunTrust Park on September 07, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Braves Austin Riley
Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

We take a look at how Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley could be the wild card for the team’s success or failure in 2020.

I didn’t think Austin Riley was ready for the major leagues at the start of the 2019 season. He had done decently in the minors the year before, but nothing screamed that he had to be called up right away. The Atlanta Braves certainly didn’t think he was ready coming out of spring training.

Of course, Riley then went on to lead the International League in home runs by the time of early May, which certainly caught the Braves’ attention. The lineup needed a spark, and Riley was the lighter that would start a raging fire.

When Austin Riley was called up to the Atlanta Braves on May 15, 2019, he immediately showed why he was called up so soon. In that first game I saw him hit a massive home run in person at the former SunTrust Park, and I knew his power was special.

In his first month in the league, it seemed like nobody could get Riley out. It truly was spectacular to witness. His defense in the outfield wasn’t exactly the greatest, but nobody cared if he was hitting homers and doubles every game.

Then, the other shoe dropped. In July, Riley slumped immensely. His OPS, which had been in the mid .900s since his call up, tanked. At the end of the year, his OPS was .750, which on paper doesn’t seem so bad for a rookie.

However, it does show how far Riley fell from his May and June performance level. Pitchers finally realized that he was having trouble with off-speed pitches, especially sliders. Riley simply could not adapt, which is not uncommon for rookies who have early success in the league.

Because of this, Riley was a nonfactor in the playoffs, which certainly harmed the team.

In this piece, I will discuss how his offense and defense can carry the Braves to new heights, or force the team to turn to Johan Camargo as an everyday third baseman (I like Camargo as a player, I just don’t think he has nearly as much potential as Riley).

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