Austin Riley's Monster Spring Training Giving Braves Needed Hope

Here’s a thought. Austin Riley looks healthy. The Atlanta Braves third baseman looks confident and determined to show that he can still be the ballplayer who was a top player at this position for a time. Whatever determination came with that new flow of his, it’s working. 

On Saturday afternoon, Riley went 1-for-3 with an opposite-field solo shot to right field for his third of the spring. With that shot, he’s batting .294 with a 1.205 OPS, the aforementioned three home runs and five RBIs. 

Riley needs one more to match his spring training high for home runs, and it’s only March 7. He should set a new spring high at this pace. That’s not anything to scoff at. 

After two years of injuries coming in tandem with a poor performance, he’s setting himself up to put that time behind him. While spring training stats should be taken with a grain of salt, they can be seen as a hopeful sign. This is a team that needs some hope when faced with consistent reasons to feel deflated. 

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Riley had a stretch of three seasons where he was a multi-time All-Star and consistently finished top-10 in MVP voting in the National League. From 2021 to 2023, he batted .286, with a .878 OPs, a 135 OPS+ and averaged 36 home runs and 99 RBIs. 

After that, he’s had two subpar seasons at the plate by his standards, batting .258 with a .760 OPS across 212 games. He’s seen his season end by early August twice. First, he was hit by a pitch that broke his hand, and then his abdominal muscles tore and required surgery to mend them. 

Injuries have been an issue across the entire team, but Riley has become one of the poster children. Just staying healthy would go a long way to helping the Braves get on track. Being healthy would give a chance to stick around long enough to find some consistency. 

It’s obvious to point out that if the core members of the Braves can get in the lineup and play to the level they’re supposed to, the team will be on an upward trajectory. However, after two chaotic seasons, a moment of previous expectations being met would suddenly be a breath of fresh air. 

Instead of frustrating injury reports, they’re just able to go out and let loose. An anemic offense would look pretty good again. Don’t expect the number of home runs we saw in 2023, but the difference will be noticeable. Getting close to 40 home runs out of Riley would fix these problems in a hurry.

The Braves are set to face the Rays in Port Charlotte on Sunday. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.