The statistical production isn’t there, but Braves third baseman Austin Riley feels he’s improving in 2020.
Riley started off hot in his debut season of 2019, earning rookie of the month for May. The rest of the campaign was a downward spiral plagued by poor plate discipline and eye-popping strikeout numbers. Riley was deemed a liability and left off the postseason roster.
Competing for the starting third-base nod in camp, Riley’s spring training was off to a roaring start before the shutdown. He was 12-for-32 (.375) with four homers and two doubles in 14 games. The Braves indicated that Riley, along with competitor Johan Camargo, likely both would’ve make the initial opening-day roster.
Since the reboot, Riley hasn’t found the same success. His 2020 season is off to a poor start: He’s hit .171 with three homers and 11 RBIs in 21 games. Yet it’s evident Riley has shown some of the improved plate discipline that drew praise back in February, even if it hasn’t translated to numbers.
“I feel like I’ve squared a lot of balls up that guys have been catching,” he said. “A lot of my ground balls have been hard-hit balls. It’s just one of those things where I just have to keep going out there, sticking to my approach, and let this thing unfold. It’s definitely been a mental test, especially with the home run I was robbed of the other night. Just a couple things that haven’t gone my way. I’m good mentally. Just go out there every day and try to put up good at-bats.”
While it’s a smaller sample, Riley has lowered his strikeout rate by roughly 5% this season, according to Statcast data. His walk rate is up from 5.4% to 7.8. He’s whiffing on fewer breaking pitches and has already homered on three in 24 chances. He hit five homers in 82 opportunities against breaking balls last season. His chase percentage is 31.3, down from 37.7 last season.
His discipline was displayed Friday night, when Riley drew a nine-pitch walk off Phillies ace Aaron Nola in the second inning of the Braves’ 11-2 win. He fouled off three pitches, including two curveballs, and laid off a curve for ball four.
“If I can get a walk, especially in a nine-pitch at-bat where I’m seeing all those pitches, that’s huge,” Riley said. “The approach, really all year, seems like it’s been a lot better compared to last year. Obviously the hits aren’t there. Mentally, it’s been a grind. It’s been tough. But I’m sticking through it. In a shorter season, it’s definitely not the results I’m wanting right now, but I feel like the mental side of my approach is getting better.”
Riley credited shortstop Dansby Swanson and outfielder Marcell Ozuna for helping with his approach throughout the season. He specifically cited how Ozuna’s prepares for games and studies pitchers. Riley is the latest of many teammates to single out Ozuna’s baseball knowledge.
The season is nearly halfway over, but it’s easy to forget how small the current 26-game sample size is during a normal year. Under usual circumstances, this would be considered a “sluggish start with reason for optimism” rather than an unproductive first half.
There’s still plenty of time for the 23-year-old to find the statistical success. He’s only had 70 at-bats entering Saturday. His manager hopes the turnaround has already started, with Riley posting a hit in his past three games.
“I’ve seen a difference in him the last few days,” manager Brian Snitker said. “A more confident approach in what he’s doing. He and Johan both, the at-bats have been a lot better recently. I know Austin has made some really good decisions and has nothing to show for it, too. He’s popped some balls. He’s staying in the middle of the diamond, that’s the biggest thing. A lot of those balls he’s hitting are balls where he’s going gap to gap right there. With a guy like that, that’s a really good sign. He has the strength and power to hit it out anywhere in the ballpark.”
