Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves

Austin Riley blasts no-doubt homer over right-field wall

Austin Riley, a non-roster invitee with the Braves this spring, turns 21 on April 2. Baseball America rates him baseball’s No. 54 prospect and FanGraphs lists him at No. 55. The Braves drafted Riley in the first round in 2015 (41st overall) out of DeSoto Central HS in Southaven, Miss. Riley hit 20 homers in 484 at-bats last season. He hit 20 homers (495 ABs) in 2016 and 12 homers (217 ABs) in 2015.
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Updated March 2, 2018

Austin Riley finally converted one of his batting practice homers to live action.

In the sixth inning of the Braves’ 5-2 win over the Tigers on Thursday, Riley hammered a ball over the right-field fence on a 1-1 count to put the Braves up for good.

It was his first homer of the spring for the Braves’ top third-base prospect, and he left no doubt. Riley hit 20 homers across Single-A and Double-A last season, including hitting .315 with eight homers in 48 games with Mississippi.

“That was good,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Riley’s home run. “It’s good for these kids to get out there, get some at-bats. They can get settled in. It’s not such a big deal. … I think you’ll start to see what we like about these guys.”

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Gabriel Burns is a general assignment reporter and features writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. After four years on the Braves beat, he's expanded his horizons and covers all sports. You'll find him writing about MLB, NFL, NBA, college football and other Atlanta-centric happenings.

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