American baseball player (born 1997)
Baseball player
Michael Austin Riley
(born April 2, 1997) is an American
professional baseball
third baseman
for the
Atlanta Braves
of
Major League Baseball
(MLB). The Braves selected him in the first round, 41st overall, of the
2015 MLB Draft
.
Born in
Memphis
and raised in
Mississippi
, Riley played football and baseball at
DeSoto Central High School
. A star
pitcher
and third baseman in high school, Riley originally committed to play
college baseball
at
Mississippi State University
, before being drafted by the Braves and opting to forgo a college baseball career. Riley made his minor league debut in 2015 with the
Gulf Coast Braves
and would spend the next several seasons in the Braves
farm system
.
Riley made his MLB debut with the Braves in 2019. He would soon emerge as a star, winning a
Silver Slugger Award
in 2021, as well as
that year's World Series
. Following a strong start to the 2022 season, Riley signed a franchise-record ten-year contract extension worth $212 million.
Early life
[
edit
]
Austin Riley is the eldest son of Mike and Elisa Riley.
[1]
[2]
[3]
Riley attended
DeSoto Central High School
in
Southaven, Mississippi
, where he played baseball as a shortstop and pitcher.
[4]
[5]
Riley played American football as a
quarterback
during his freshman and sophomore years in high school. Though he expressed a desire to quit football and focus on baseball, the football coach chose to retain Riley as a
punter
, a position his father had played at
Mississippi State University
.
[6]
Riley was committed to play for the
Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball
team until he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2015.
[7]
[8]
MSU had also offered Riley the chance to play
football for the Bulldogs
as a punter.
[6]
Career
[
edit
]
Draft and minor leagues
[
edit
]
The
Atlanta Braves
selected Riley in the first round, with the 41st overall selection, in the
2015 MLB draft
.
[9]
[10]
Though he was committed to
Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball
team,
[11]
[12]
Riley chose to sign with the Braves for $1.6 million.
[13]
Riley made his professional debut with the
Gulf Coast Braves
that season. After 30 games, he was promoted to the
Danville Braves
in the
Appalachian League
. Overall in 60 games he batted .304/.389/.544 with 12
home runs
over 217 at-bats, while on defense he committed 16 errors for a .908 fielding percentage.
[14]
[15]
In 2016, Riley played for the
Rome Braves
of the
Class A
South Atlantic League
. he batted .271/.324/.479. On defense, he committed 30 errors at third base.
[16]
The Braves invited Riley to
spring training
as a non-roster player in 2017.
[17]
He began the 2017 season with the
Florida Fire Frogs
of the
Class A-Advanced
Florida State League
.
[18]
He was promoted to the
Mississippi Braves
of the
Class AA
Southern League
in July.
[19]
[20]
In 129 games between Florida and Mississippi, Riley hit .275/.339/.446 with 20 home runs and 74 RBIs, while on defense he committed 20 errors at third base.
[16]
He was assigned to the
Peoria Javelinas
of the
Arizona Fall League
at the end of the minor league regular season.
[21]
Prior to the start of the 2018 season, Riley received an invitation to spring training.
[22]
He was ranked among the top prospects in the minor leagues prior to the season.
[23]
He began 2018 with Mississippi, and after batting .333 with six home runs and 20 RBIs in 27 games, and was promoted to the
Gwinnett Stripers
in May.
[24]
[25]
In 75 games with Gwinnett, he hit .282/.346/.464/.810 with 12 home runs and 47 RBI. He opened the 2019 season with Gwinnett.
[26]
Atlanta Braves
[
edit
]
On May 15, 2019, Riley was called up to the Atlanta Braves prior to their game against the
St. Louis Cardinals
. Riley was promoted after
Ender Inciarte
was placed on the injured list.
[27]
[28]
He made his major league debut that night and, in his second at bat, hit a home run off
Michael Wacha
.
[29]
[30]
On May 29, 2019, Riley, despite a 14-4 blowout loss to the
Nationals
, hit his first career
grand slam
, marking his seventh home run in fourteen career games and bringing his
RBI
total to twenty. At the time, his seven home runs in fourteen games were the second most to begin a career, trailing only
Trevor Story
(
Aristides Aquino
has since passed them both with nine). On June 1, he hit his eighth home run in 16 games, becoming the fourth player in major league baseball history to achieve this feat.
[31]
He was also the fastest player in Braves franchise history to do so. Riley earned the NL Rookie of the Month Award for May 2019, despite only playing in 15 games.
[32]
[33]
On August 8, 2019, Riley was placed on the 10-day
injured list
due to a right knee sprain, retroactive to August 5. It was later revealed that Riley had a partial tear in his
lateral collateral ligament
that he sustained while working out.
[34]
Riley began a rehab assignment on August 22 with the
Rome Braves
, and as of September 1 was continuing to rehab with the
Gwinnett Stripers
.
[35]
In 2019 with the Braves he batted .226/.279/.471 with 18 home runs and 49 RBIs in 274 at bats, as on defense he played 58 games in left field, six at first base, five at third base, and two in right field.
[36]
In 2020 he batted .239/.301/.415 with 8 home runs and 27 RBIs in 188 at bats. On defense, he played primarily third base (46 games), with four games each at first base and in left field.
[36]
His six errors were the third-most among NL third basemen.
[36]
After beginning the 2021 season in a hitting slump that saw him go 8-for-44 with no extra-base hits, Riley made a significant change to the mental aspect of his at bats, working with minor league hitting coach
Mike Brumley
to recognize where an off-speed pitch would land, and avoid swinging at the
sliders
that pitchers had used against him in prior years.
[37]
After batting in the back half of the lineup through late May, Riley was promoted to
cleanup hitter
, where he helped push the Braves back to the top of the
NL East
.
[38]
He finished the 2021 season hitting .303 with 33 home runs (10th in the NL), 107 RBIs (2nd), 168 strikeouts (4th), and a .898 OPS, joining
Eddie Mathews
and
Chipper Jones
as the only Atlanta third basemen to hit .300 with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs in a season at the age of 24 or younger.
Ozzie Albies
put up similar numbers, and the pair became the fifth set of teammates to individually construct 30-home run, 100-RBI seasons at the age of 24 or younger.
[39]
On defense, his 14 errors were second-most among NL third basemen, while his 300 assists ranked first.
[36]
On October 16, 2021, Riley recorded his first career walk-off hit in Game 1 of the
NLCS
against the
Los Angeles Dodgers
, allowing Ozzie Albies to score and the Braves to win 3?2.
[40]
In Game 6, Riley had 2 hits and 1 RBI to help the Braves close out the series.
[41]
[42]
The Braves would eventually go onto win the
2021 World Series
, earning Riley his first World Series ring. After the season ended, Riley and three teammates (
Freddie Freeman
,
Max Fried
, and
Ozzie Albies
) won the
Silver Slugger Awards
for their respective positions.
[43]
Riley was eligible for
salary arbitration
for the first time during the 2022 season. He sought to earn $4.25 million, and was instead awarded $3.95 million.
[44]
On July 11, 2022, it was announced that Riley had earned Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career.
[45]
[46]
On July 16, Riley was added to the MLB All Star Team as an injury replacement for
Nolan Arenado
.
[47]
Riley set a franchise record by recording 26 extra base hits in July.
[48]
He later won the NL Player of the Month award for July 2022, the first such award in his career.
[48]
[49]
On August 1, the Braves announced that Riley had been signed to a ten-year contract extension, worth $212 million.
[50]
The contract is the largest in team history,
[51]
exceeding the length and total value of an extension signed by teammate
Matt Olson
before the 2022 season began. On August 9, Riley hit his thirtieth home run and, in 111 games, tied
Hank Aaron
as the quickest players in franchise history to hit thirty doubles and thirty home runs in the same season.
[52]
At the midseason of the 2023 season, Riley for the second consecutive year was nominated as a reserve infielder for the National League in the
2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
.
[53]
Riley won the second Silver Slugger Award of his career in 2023.
[54]
[55]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Riley and his wife, Anna, were married in November 2018.
[56]
[57]
They resided in
Coldwater, Mississippi
.
[58]
They announced in October 2021 they were expecting their first child,
[59]
[60]
and their son was born in April 2022.
[61]
[62]
[63]
The family later moved to Riley's hometown of
Hernando, Mississippi
.
[64]
[65]
Riley's cousin Keegan James attended Mississippi State where he played baseball.
[6]
James was selected by the
Colorado Rockies
in the 25th round of the
2019 Major League Baseball draft
.
[66]
[67]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Hummer, Steve (May 11, 2019).
"How long do Braves keep Riley on farm when he's hitting like this?"
.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
. Retrieved
May 16,
2019
.
- ^
"Austin Riley homers in MLB debut, Braves blank Cardinals 4-0"
.
USA Today
. ESPN.com. Associated Press. May 15, 2019. Archived from
the original
on July 9, 2020
. Retrieved
May 16,
2019
.
Alt URL
- ^
Riley's family watches his debut
. Busch Stadium: MLB.com. May 15, 2019. Event occurs at 0:02
. Retrieved
May 16,
2019
.
- ^
Olney, Buster
(May 26, 2019).
"Olney: Braves embrace the instant impact of Austin Riley, power prodigy"
.
ESPN.com
. Retrieved
May 28,
2019
.
- ^
Wickham, Pete (April 17, 2014).
"Jags, Lewisburg making push for postseason"
.
The Commercial Appeal
. Retrieved
May 16,
2019
.
- ^
a
b
c
Miller, Scott (October 31, 2021).
"Saying Yes to Baseball Meant Leaving Football Behind"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
April 20,
2022
.
- ^
Bonner, Michael (June 16, 2015).
"Austin Riley expected to sign with Braves on Wednesday"
.
USA Today
. Retrieved
May 16,
2019
– via The Clarion Ledger.
- ^
Bonner, Michael (June 18, 2015).
"MSU signee Riley receives bigger bonus than slot value"
.
The Clarion-Ledger
. Retrieved
May 16,
2019
.
- ^
Bakken, Bob (June 8, 2015).
"DeSoto Central's Riley picked in MLB Draft"
.
DeSoto Times Tribune
. Retrieved
April 12,
2016
.
- ^
Bowman, Mark (June 9, 2015).
"Braves turn to power-packed Riley at No. 41"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
April 12,
2016
.
- ^
Bonner, Michael (June 10, 2015).
"MLB drafts six MSU signees, one already agrees to terms"
.
Clarion Ledger
. Retrieved
April 12,
2016
.
- ^
Bonner, Michael (June 17, 2015).
"MSU signee Austin Riley's MLB contract pending approval"
.
Clarion Ledger
. Retrieved
April 12,
2016
.
- ^
Dykstra, Sam (March 8, 2016).
"Braves' Riley ready to build on first season"
. MILB.com
. Retrieved
April 12,
2016
.
- ^
O'Brien, David (February 25, 2015).
"Braves have a slugging prospect; Top 50 Albums of 2015"
.
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. Retrieved
April 12,
2016
.
- ^
Dykstra, Sam (February 22, 2016).
"Farm System Rankings: Position players"
. MILB.com
. Retrieved
April 12,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
"Austin Riley Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics & History"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
.
- ^
O'Brien, David (March 4, 2017).
"Another 19-year-old, Austin Riley, impresses in Braves camp"
.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
. Retrieved
October 15,
2017
.
- ^
Krzus, Thaddeus (April 4, 2017).
"Fire Frogs Announce Opening Day Roster"
. MILB.com
. Retrieved
October 15,
2017
.
- ^
Shanks, Bill (July 12, 2017).
"Atlanta Braves promote outfielder Ronald Acuna to Triple-A Gwinnett"
.
Macon Telegraph
. Retrieved
October 15,
2017
.
- ^
Hudgison, Chris (July 13, 2017).
"Ronald Acuna promoted to Gwinnett, Austin Riley promoted to M-Braves"
. WLBT. Archived from
the original
on October 15, 2017
. Retrieved
October 15,
2017
.
- ^
Boor, William (October 12, 2017).
"Riley, Braves prospects break out bats in AFL win"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
October 15,
2017
.
- ^
Bowman, Mark (February 28, 2018).
"Mind game: Mental side is Riley's focus"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
March 1,
2018
.
- ^
"The Top 100 Prospects"
.
Baseball America
. Retrieved
March 14,
2018
.
- ^
Dykstra, Sam (May 7, 2018).
"Braves' Riley earns promotion to Triple-A"
. MILB.com
. Retrieved
February 22,
2019
.
- ^
Wilborn, Nubyjas (May 17, 2018).
"Riley wants to be next young star in Braves' lineup"
.
Marietta Daily Journal
. Retrieved
May 16,
2019
– via Daily Citizen-News.
- ^
"Gwinnett Stripers announce 2019 opening night roster"
. Gwinnett Daily Post. April 3, 2019
. Retrieved
May 15,
2019
.
- ^
Bowman, Mark (May 15, 2019).
"Riley almost misses call to big leagues, literally"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
May 16,
2019
.
- ^
"Braves prospect Riley to debut; Inciarte to IL"
. ESPN. Associated Press. May 15, 2019
. Retrieved
May 15,
2019
.
- ^
"Braves prospect Riley homers in second at-bat"
. ESPN. May 15, 2019
. Retrieved
May 16,
2019
.
- ^
Bowman, Mark (May 15, 2019).
"Braves prospect Riley homers in 2nd MLB AB"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
May 16,
2019
.
- ^
"Sanchez sparkles as Nationals pound Gausman, Braves 14-4"
. Yahoo Sports. Archived from
the original
on November 24, 2021
. Retrieved
June 21,
2019
.
- ^
Burns, Gabriel (June 3, 2019).
"Braves' Austin Riley named NL Rookie of the Month"
.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
. Retrieved
April 20,
2022
.
- ^
"Austin Riley Named NL Rookie of the Month"
. MILB.com. June 4, 2019
. Retrieved
August 2,
2022
.
- ^
"Austin Riley goes on IL with knee sprain"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
September 2,
2019
.
- ^
Tim Tucker, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"Austin Riley begins rehab assignment Friday after chance to 'reset'
"
.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
. Retrieved
September 2,
2019
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Austin Riley Stats"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
.
- ^
Law, Keith (September 6, 2021).
"How Austin Riley became the Braves' most valuable player: Keith Law"
.
The Athletic
. Retrieved
October 12,
2021
.
- ^
O'Brien, David (September 2, 2021).
"Braves' Austin Riley credits behind-the-scenes 'hitting guru' for his breakthrough"
.
The Athletic
. Retrieved
October 12,
2021
.
- ^
Bowman, Mark (October 8, 2021).
"Riley makes Braves history in MVP-like year"
.
MLB.com
. Advanced Media Group
. Retrieved
October 12,
2021
.
- ^
"Riley plays G1 hero with HR, walk-off knock"
.
MLB.com
.
- ^
"MLB Baseball Scores - MLB Scoreboard - ESPN"
.
ESPN.com
. Retrieved
October 24,
2021
.
- ^
"Atlanta Braves win 2021 World Series"
. MLB
. Retrieved
November 2,
2021
.
- ^
Harrigan, Thomas (November 11, 2021).
"
'21 Silver Slugger Award winners announced"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
November 23,
2021
.
- ^
"Atlanta Braves beat 3B Austin Riley, St. Louis Cardinals defeat OF Tyler O'Neill in arbitration"
.
ESPN.com
. Associated Press. May 11, 2022
. Retrieved
May 12,
2022
.
- ^
"Corey Seager, Austin Riley named Players of the Week presented by Chevrolet"
.
MLB.com
. July 11, 2022
. Retrieved
July 16,
2022
.
- ^
Murphy, Brian (July 11, 2022).
"Seager, Riley take home Player of the Week honors"
. Retrieved
July 16,
2022
.
- ^
Werle, Andy (July 16, 2022).
"Riley, Cronenworth among 4 new All-Stars"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
July 16,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
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"Austin Riley wins National League Player of Month after historic July"
.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
. Retrieved
August 2,
2022
.
- ^
"July's top players no surprise: Judge, Riley"
.
MLB.com
. August 2, 2022
. Retrieved
August 2,
2022
.
- ^
Bowman, Mark (August 1, 2022).
"Braves sign MVP candidate Riley to 10-year deal"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
August 1,
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.
- ^
"Atlanta Braves extend Austin Riley with massive contract"
.
ESPN.com
. August 1, 2022
. Retrieved
August 1,
2022
.
- ^
Burkhardt, Molly (August 9, 2022).
"Riley socks the Sox with 30th homer, 5 RBIs"
.
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. Retrieved
August 10,
2022
.
- ^
Toscano, Justin.
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.
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- ^
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. ESPN.com. Reuters. November 9, 2023
. Retrieved
November 9,
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.
- ^
Murphy, Brian (November 9, 2023).
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. MLB.com
. Retrieved
November 9,
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.
- ^
Bakken, Bob (December 7, 2021).
"County adds Austin Riley Day declaration"
.
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. Retrieved
April 20,
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.
- ^
"Anna Harrington and Austin Riley"
.
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. June 2019
. Retrieved
April 20,
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.
- ^
"From T-Ball to the Big Leagues"
. January 28, 2020.
- ^
Ackerman, Thais (November 21, 2019).
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. WXIA
. Retrieved
April 20,
2022
.
- ^
"Braves World Series champ Austin Riley, wife announce pregnancy"
. WSBTV. November 21, 2021
. Retrieved
April 20,
2022
.
- ^
"
'Our biggest blessing' Braves third baseman Austin Riley, wife Anna welcome baby boy"
. WBS-TV. April 22, 2022
. Retrieved
April 24,
2022
.
- ^
Raymond, Jonathan (April 22, 2022).
"Braves star Austin Riley, wife Anna welcome baby boy"
. WXIA-TV
. Retrieved
April 24,
2022
.
- ^
"Atlanta Braves' Austin Riley, wife Anna welcome baby son"
. WAGA-TV. April 22, 2022
. Retrieved
April 24,
2022
.
- ^
Bowman, Mark (February 23, 2023).
"With a work ethic like his dad's, it's no surprise Riley's a Top 20 player"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
March 7,
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.
- ^
Burns, Gabriel (August 13, 2022).
"How Austin Riley's small-town roots in northern Mississippi shaped him"
.
Atlanta Journal Constitution
. Retrieved
March 7,
2023
.
- ^
Newman, Kyle (June 5, 2019).
"Rockies' picks on the final day of 2019 MLB draft, Rounds 11-40"
.
Denver Post
. Retrieved
April 20,
2022
.
- ^
Ducote, Nick (June 5, 2019).
"8 MSU Players Selected on Final Day of Major League Baseball First Year Draft"
. WDAM
. Retrieved
April 20,
2022
.
External links
[
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]
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Active roster
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Inactive roster
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Injured list
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Coaching staff
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