4 Braves whose first names aren't what you think they are

You've grown accustomed to these players middle names and nicknames, but you might not know their first names.

Atlanta Braves v Philadelphia Phillies
Atlanta Braves v Philadelphia Phillies | Rich Schultz/GettyImages
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3. Alex Jordan Minter aka A.J.

Unlike his teammate, AJ Smith-Shawver, A.J. Minter uses periods in between his initials. Also unlike Smith-Shawever, the A and the J stand for something.

Minter's first name is Alex (not Alexander) and his middle name is Jordan. Something about "Alex" just doesn't feel right for A.J. We're glad he goes by his initials.

4. Michael Austin Riley

In 2022, the Braves called up a Michael who caught fire, quickly became a star, and earned himself the nickname "Money Mike." Little did fans know they'd had a Michael on the team who had turned himself into a star just a season before.

Austin Riley first broke into the majors in 2019, getting off to a scorching hot start in his first month before fizzling the rest of the season. In 2020, the young 3B struggled to catch his footing, but finally broke out in a big way in 2021.

All that time, he could've been the first Money Mike, because Austin's first name is "Michael". Although, on second thought, it's a good thing Riley goes by Austin, because Money Mike is a very fitting nickname for the Braves CF.

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