Atlanta Braves: Strikeouts for Austin Riley are Concerning

It is still early in Spring Training, but the Atlanta Braves top prospect Austin Riley has gotten out to a dreadful start at the plate.

The Atlanta Braves are going to give talented prospect Austin Riley a long look in Spring Training to try and determine if they can count on him at the big league level this year.

So far, the results have not been great for the soon-to-be 22-year-old. He has already had five at-bats in two games this spring and has struck out in all five at-bats.

The third base prospect and former first-round pick has walked and scored a run this spring, so it hasn’t been all bad. But that’s certainly not the impression Riley is hoping to have over the next month.

They say that pitchers are typically ahead of the hitters early in Spring Training, and hopefully, that’s the case here. But the fact that Riley hasn’t even put a ball in play in five at-bats is alarming.

I know we now live in a day-and-age where strikeouts “don’t matter”, but I’m still a believer in putting the ball in play.

Over four minor league seasons, Riley has struck out 465 times in 1,604 at-bats. If my math is correct, which is questionable, he’s striking out every three-and-a-half times he comes to the plate.

Yoan Moncada, who led all of baseball last year with 217 strikeouts, whiffed every 2.6 at-bats.

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It’s possible to be a very successful MLB player and strikeout a ton. Giancarlo Stanton, Justin Upton, Paul Goldschmidt, and Bryce Harper all finished in the bottom 10 in strikeouts last year.

All of those players hit 30 home runs or more though, and the expectation for Riley is that he’ll be a 30-35 home run hitter at the big league level.

He’s hit 71 home runs in those 1,604 minor leagues at-bats, giving him a home run every 22.6 at-bats. At that rate, he would hit around 27 home runs if he got 600 at-bats.

If Riley is going to continue striking out at this rate, he is going to have to put more balls over the fence. We’re not going to overreact to five Spring Training at-bats, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on throughout the spring.

I think the Atlanta Braves want to see Riley make an impact at the big league level this year, but he’ll have to prove he’s ready over the next couple of months.