Austin Riley is as even-keeled as they come. He’s always been this way.
It is a credit to his father, Mike, who always instilled in Austin the importance of being as level-headed as possible.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re 0-for-however-much or if you’re 10-for-10,” Austin said. “And I think that’s what the good ones do.”
No two hitters are the same. Swings vary, as do skill levels. What works for one hitter may not work for another.
Here’s something they all share in common: They all experience slumps. It’s inevitable.
The important part is how someone deals with it.
Riley learned from Freddie Freeman, who provided a terrific example of how to remain consistent.
“He never showed anything, whether he was going great or not so great,” Riley said during the series in Miami. “I’ve been here before. It’s just part of the game. Part of the game is you’re gonna fail, you’re gonna go through a slump.
“The great ones went through it. You’ve seen (Mike) Trout go through it, you’ve seen Derek Jeter go through it. It’s part of the game. And I think how you deal with it is what brings you out of the back end of it.”
In 2019, Riley slumped – hard. It derailed his season.
Since then, he has been steadier. He might struggle at times – as every hitter does – but he finds his way out of it.
One main reason?
His makeup – the baseball word for character. Riley is calm and collected. He’s learned not to panic when going through tough times.
“He doesn’t wear his emotions on his sleeves and he’s not real high and low,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said last week. “He kind of keeps a nice, even keel and professional take and outlook on things. And the approach – that day in, day out approach. He’s the same every day, same person every day. I think all that does is allow him to overcome things like this because you’re gonna go through it. It’s just part of it.”
When the Braves arrived in Miami last week, Riley had only six hits in his last 45 at-bats. Those included a home run and four RBIs. He had 16 strikeouts and five walks in that stretch. Before this tough span, Riley had been on an eight-game hitting streak.
Every hitter experiences slumps.
Some get out quicker than others.
Riley is still working. Perhaps he’s close to breaking out of the funk: He collected four hits over three games in Miami, then three more over the first two games versus Baltimore before going 0-for-5 in the series finale.
Riley has one home run over his last 12 games. In that span, he’s driven in only four runs.
Riley said he’s been closing himself off a bit at the plate instead of squaring his body toward the pitcher. This left him vulnerable to the fastball and having to cheat on it. And then he couldn’t react to the off-speed stuff. His swing wasn’t as free and easy.
“I’ve always said: You’ve got to be able to hit the fastball in the big leagues,” Riley said.
He wasn’t punishing them like usual. But he continued trying to make the adjustment.
“It’s not gonna happen overnight, it’s just gonna be a natural thing,” he said at the time.
No one can predict when a hitter will slump. The only certainty is that he eventually will.
And when he does, how he reacts seems to be the important part.
This is perhaps Riley’s best asset: His even-keeled attitude allows him to remain calm during difficult times.
“Every year, he allows himself to come out of things like that,” Snitker said. “He just keeps working and he keeps a nice, even keel, and doesn’t panic, and just kind of stays the course. I think that’s what allows him to be so successful and one of the better players he is.”
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