House That Hank Built
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Atlanta Braves roster: patches needed for a stumbling lineup

By Fred Owens

Atlanta Braves pinch hitter Pablo Sandoval hit a three run home run to give the Braves the lead. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta Braves pinch hitter Pablo Sandoval hit a three run home run to give the Braves the lead. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley has yet to find his power stroke. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley has yet to find his power stroke. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

Atlanta Braves hot-corner woes

Austin Riley remains disappointing at the plate. I keep hearing the same song; he’s adjusted at every level; give him time. He had 545 PA (500 AB) going into Thursday’s game. How much more time does he get?

Since he came up in 2019, 47 other players who began their Major League time that season have at least 500 PA. Riley’s .230/.288/.430/.718 line ranks 42nd/45th/32nd/40th, his 34 walks are 44th on the list, and his 169 Ks are the 17th highest total

According to Fangraphs’ splits tool before Thursday’s game, since the 2019 All-Star break, Riley’s batting .214/.274/.321/.625 with a .270 wOBA and 64 wRC+. His hits included 10 homers, 11 doubles, a triple, struck out at a 29.2% clip, and walked at a 7% rate.

Baseball Savant shows Riley below the 50th percentile rank in everything but EV and hard-hit ball percentage.

Percentile Rankings
Avg. EV 18 Max EV 91 Hard hit % 66
xwOBA 28 xBA 39 xSlg 32
Barrel % 22 K% 29 BB% 24
WHIFF % 21 Chase 23 Outs Above Avg.  26
A 90% percentile rank means 90% of the group ranked lower

Riley is dead weight on offense. The only reason to continue to play him is the Atlanta Braves lack of someone to replace him long term.

Ehire Adrianza is a middle infielder. He’s capable of defending at third and appears likely to hit for a higher average; his power is, however, occasional.

Pablo Sandoval’s days as an everyday third baseman are gone. The Braves may try Panda and Adrianza in some sort of rotation, but Panda’s been a hidden gem off the bench, which seems his best role.

The next 13 games look favorable for Riley as, except for the Yankees, he should get pitching he can handle.

As for today against the Cubs… Adrianza is getting the call:  if nothing else, Riley needs a day (or more) to simply clear his head.

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