• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Cold Wire

Breaking News, Sports, Entertainment, TV, Tech ...

  • Home
  • Sports
    • NFL
    • NBA
    • MLB
  • Entertainment
  • World News
  • Cold Hard Facts
  • About
You are here: Home / Sports / MLB / Austin Riley Proving His Value With Two Home Runs On Wednesday

Austin Riley Proving His Value With Two Home Runs On Wednesday

By Andres Chavez March 23, 2022 @andres_chavez13

Jorge Soler #12 of the Atlanta Braves is congratulated by Austin Riley #27 after hitting a three run home run against the Houston Astros during the third inning in Game Six of the World Series at Minute Maid Park on November 02, 2021 in Houston, Texas.
(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

 

Part of the reason the Atlanta Braves decided to let Freddie Freeman go during the offseason is because they feel the rest of their lineup, plus the addition of Matt Olson, is good enough to move on without him.

Olson, Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley, Dansby Swanson, Travis d’Arnaud, Marcell Ozuna, Alex Dickerson, Adam Duvall, and Eddie Rosario are certainly a very capable group.

Riley, in particular, will try to prove that his 2021 breakout season was no fluke.

He is off to an excellent start during spring training, as he hit two home runs on Wednesday.

Of course, putting too much importance on spring training stats is not usually recommended, but it’s good to see him swinging the bat well and producing already.

2nd homer on the day… Austin Riley still confirmed good pic.twitter.com/1Hz14rrRF9

— Starting 9 (@Starting9) March 23, 2022

After two years hitting in the .220-.230 range, Riley broke through with a .303/.367/.531 line last year, in 160 games and 662 plate appearances.

He hit 33 home runs, scored 91 runs, and drove in 107.

 

He Probably Won’t Hit .300 Again, But He Is Legit

Of course, his strikeout percentage was a tad high at 25.4 percent, and his BABIP was very, very elevated, at .368.

BABIP means batting average in balls in play, and Riley’s mark was far higher than the average.

What does that tell us?

That his batting average should come down because he probably won’t have enough luck to keep his BABIP in the .360 range.

BABIP is not all luck, though, and Riley did hit the ball hard (45.6 percent of his batted balls traveled at 95 mph or more), increasing the odds of getting hits.

His ability to punish the ball will keep his batting average decent, although probably not in the .300 range.

In other words, the Braves have a great one: he is not a .300 hitter, but he can sure hit .270-.280 with at least 30 home runs.

That’s extremely valuable, and it’s good to see him off to a good start at the plate.

    Get ALL the latest MLB news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Cold Wire MLB newsletter here!    

Recent News

Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres hits a solo home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park on September 22, 2021 in San Diego, California.
3 Ways The Yankees Can Get Out Of Their Slump
Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres hits a solo home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park on September 22, 2021 in San Diego, California.
Was Fernando Tatis Jr.’s Contract A Mistake?
Kyle Schwarber #12 of the Philadelphia Phillies points into the outfield after hitting a two-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres June 23, 2022 at Petco Park in San Diego, California.
The NL East Has Suddenly Become A Dominant Division

Filed Under: Atlanta Braves Rumors And News (Updated Daily), MLB Tagged With: Atlanta Braves

About Andres Chavez

Sportswriter, fantasy sports enthusiast. Covering MLB, NBA, and NFL from every possible angle.

Suggest a correction

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow The Cold Wire!

Primary Sidebar

Search The Cold Wire

Footer

Privacy Policy

Terms and Conditions

Editorial Guidelines

Contact Us

Sitemap

Advertise

Follow us on

Copyright © 2022 · ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ·TheColdWire.com

Suggest a Correction

Austin Riley Proving His Value With Two Home Runs On Wednesday

1000 characters remaining