The biggest position battle for the Atlanta Braves has finally reached a conclusion with Austin Riley starting the season at the hot corner.
It’s been a bit of a wild ride at the corner infield position for the Atlanta Braves throughout summer camp.
At first, we thought they may need Austin Riley or Adam Duvall to fill-in for Freddie Freeman at first base after the face of the franchise tested positive for COVID-19.
But now the team’s leader is back and looks more than ready for the start of the season at first base.
And then Johan Camargo hurt his hamstring opening up the door for Riley to start the season as the team’s third baseman.
So while the battle for third might be solved for now, the battle will likely continue throughout the season.
In a 60-game schedule, you have to ride the hot hand. It doesn’t sound like Camargo will be out long, so if Riley isn’t on fire out of the gate then he’ll quickly lose that spot to Camargo.
But let’s focus on Riley being the guy for now and what that means for the Braves roster.
I believe Riley is the best fit for this lineup — assuming he’s playing up to his potential — because of the power potential he brings.
And I’m really excited to see what he can do defensively at third base. I saw him make a couple of nice plays in spring training but didn’t get to see much in summer camp.
Riley’s defensive metrics in left field surprised as they were positive, so I’m hoping he’s even better as his primary position.
Of course, this is the chance for Riley to grab hold of this position and hopefully hold it for the next six or seven years.
He showed what he’s capable of doing in the Braves’ final summer camp game providing all the offense with a couple of solo home runs, including a beautiful oppo-taco.
Let’s hope that continues into the 2020 season and he’s able to provide that pop in the lineup and prove this is his position for the foreseeable future.