Atlanta Braves: Could Austin Riley be the Backup Plan for Nick Markakis?
We take a look at the possibility of the Atlanta Braves moving top prospects Austin Riley from third base to the outfield this season.
According to David O’Brien of the Athletic (subscription required), the Atlanta Braves will take a look at Austin Riley in the outfield this spring.
With the Braves signing Josh Donaldson this offseason to a one-year deal, that almost all but guaranteed… health of Donaldson excepted… that Riley won’t take over that position until the 2020 season.
But the Braves are obviously aware of the talent that Riley possesses and don’t want to eliminate the idea of him making his major league debut this season.
He’ll be with the team in Spring Training and will have a chance to showcase his talent for Brian Snitker and the front office. It sounds like he could get plenty of reps in the outfield as well.
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With that, you have to wonder if Riley is the backup plan for Nick Markakis in right field.
After the signing of Markakis we speculated if the Braves would be willing to replace him during the season if he gets off to a slow start.
On the flip side, if Riley impresses in Spring Training and then gets off to a hot start in Spring Training, there’s at least a chance that the team may decide that he’s better than Markakis right now anyway.
This is certainly an option for the Braves, and one I hope they keep in mind. We have started our window of winning, and there is no reason to hold Riley back if he shows that he deserves a spot in the starting lineup with the big league club.
I love Markakis as much as the next fan, but at $4 million he is not guaranteed anything this year. If the coaching staff feels like Riley can be a more productive player, then they better replace him for Markakis.
However, moving Riley to the outfield is not just an insurance policy for Markakis, but for any injury in the outfield.
Donaldson has injury concerns as he tries to rebound from 2018, so there is a chance that Riley fills in for him a lot this year. But if Riley can make the transition to the outfield, it just gives him a better opportunity to make an impact this season.
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I think it’s a very smart move by the Braves to have Riley try the outfield in Spring Training. Like I said, if he proves himself this spring and continues that into Triple-A to start the year, they can’t hold him back when we need our best players in the major league lineup.