Analyzing Atlanta Braves rookie Austin Riley’s first half
By Josh Mathews
Austin Riley set the world on fire for a time after his May 15 debut, but lately, has been on a steep slide.
The storm that Atlanta Braves’ left-fielder Austin Riley unleashed on Major League Baseball has now subsided. After hitting .389 through his first two weeks in the majors and .298 over his first month, he’s now hit .181 over the last three weeks.
That’s part of a bigger slide that really set in mid-June. Why have things gone the way they have? What can we expect from him in the second half?
The best of times, the worst of times
From the day he hit the majors, Austin Riley wasn’t just what Atlanta Braves fans imagined, he was so much more. Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha surrendered Riley’s first home run, a 438-foot no doubter. The narrative began.
Over the next 16 games and 63 at-bats, Riley would crank eight home runs. He was named the National League rookie of the month for May. By June 4, he became the second fastest player to reach 25 RBI in MLB history.
After a 1 for 13 slide, Riley battered the Pirates for three hits on June 12 and what was his 10th home run. The rookie rode out his first real hiccup against big league pitching, but it didn’t last.
Riley went 1 for 15 from June 23-27, then responded with four hits in two days vs. the Mets. Since, Riley has gone 3 for 26.
His struggles may have been masked a bit by the fact in the nine games in which he got hits since June 19, five of those games have included a home run.