Gwinnett Stripers Fishing Report: Rise of Riley

Austin Riley will be the first to admit he started off slowly in each of his first three professional seasons. But this year, something clicked for him, and he thinks he's found a formula for consistent success.
Riley, drafted 41st overall in the 2015 draft by the Atlanta Braves, began his pro career 2-for-26 at the plate as an 18-year-old with the Gulf Coast League Braves. The following year, with Class-A Rome, he hit .246 over the first two months of the season. Likewise in 2017, he started off hitting .242 in April with Advanced-A Florida. It was a trend Riley wanted to correct.

"That was kind of how my offseasons went, thinking 'how do I figure out how to start my prep into Spring Training, going into the season?" Riley said. "I think a lot of it has to do with how a whole season of baseball is so long. Some guys can get acclimated quick, some guys it takes a little bit. I was one of those guys that it took a little bit to figure out my body and figure out a routine that helped me in the offseason that helped me get ready for the start of the season."
He spent last offseason working out at Mississippi State, the program he originally committed to play with before the Braves drafted him out of Mississippi's DeSoto Central High School. This offseason, unlike the previous two, he started his workout regimen about a month earlier than usual. He focused on his cardio, keeping him in everyday shape while allowing him to jump back into "baseball shape," or the grind of swinging a bat and enduring long days in the field, he explained.
"Obviously there's always room for improvement, but the biggest thing was hammering my diet, my gym routine and really staying on that," Riley said. "That way I could stay in shape and then not worry about getting both 'in shape' and in 'baseball shape' when I come to Spring Training."
At 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, the 21-year-old Riley has "got the big-league body already," according to teammate and veteran infielder Sean Kazmar Jr. But with a big frame, Riley confessed that he has battled weight issues in the past.
"I think I was at Area Code (High School Baseball Showcase) and I remember a scout coming up to me, and he really dogged me about my weight," Riley said. "That's where it kind of hit home. Ever since then, I've had to worry about my diet. Even in the last year or so, I've really homed in on it."
A self-proclaimed "boredom snacker," Riley has cut snack foods out of his diet and now just eats when he's hungry, he said. That, and hitting the weight room in the offseason, have gotten him to his peak physical shape.
The new routine paid off this year for the perennially slow starter. He came out of the gate scorching hot, hitting .333 with six home runs and 20 runs batted in over 27 games with Double-A Mississippi, catapulting him to a quick promotion to Gwinnett on May 7. The best game of Riley's career came shortly thereafter, when he hit three homers and drove in eight runs in his seventh career Triple-A game on May 13 versus Norfolk.
He was on his way to his best all-around season, combining to bat .308 with 10 homers and 38 RBIs over his first 53 games of the season. Then, Riley injured his right knee while diving for a ball on June 3 at Louisville. On June 6, he was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his career.
"I had to (rehab) for about a month, which wasn't fun but it's part of baseball," Riley said. "First one of my pro career and it wasn't bad. The knee feels great and I'm very fortunate I didn't have to have surgery or anything."
All told, Riley missed 35 games for Gwinnett while he rehabbed the injury at Atlanta's Spring Training complex in Orlando. Since he returned to Gwinnett on July 12, he was hitting .282 with 10 RBIs and a .384 on-base percentage through August 4, though he hadn't hit a home run.
"I came back and started swinging it really well - started where I left off before I got injured," Riley said. "I'm still hitting some balls hard right now, but balls aren't falling. That's part of the game, you've got to grind. Everybody goes through some struggles."
He isn't solely focused on becoming the 30-homer, 100-RBI batter he believes he can be at the big-league level. Much of this season has been spent improving his fielding abilities at third base. Despite being tabbed as the "Best Defensive Infielder" with the "Best Infield Arm" in the Braves' system, according to Baseball America, Riley made 20 total errors last season and 30 errors the year prior.

"My ball cuts and two-seams," Riley explained. "I'm still trying to figure out how to four-seam it every time, whether it's gripping as a four-seam or not. A lot of my errors do come from throwing. I feel like I've vastly improved, especially working with (Atlanta Braves third base coach) Ron Washington, (Braves' infield coordinator) Adam Everett and (former infield instructor) Luis Lopez. I definitely think it has improved, but I think there is a lot more room for improvement, which is only better for me."
This year, he's cut his errors down to seven between Mississippi and Gwinnett as of August 4, which he credits in part to veteran infield comrades Kazmar and Phil Gosselin. Riley said he talks to Kazmar on the diamond about how he could have played a ball better in a certain situation, or in the clubhouse about how a game went.
"It's all about preparation," Kazmar said. "If you can go out there and put everything into it beforehand, it's going to make the game slower and a little easier. I think that's really helped him out, and I think the more reps he gets, the better he's going to get."
Kazmar related Riley's skill set to his recent infield predecessors, namely Johan Camargo and Ozzie Albies, who have been crucial to Atlanta's success in 2018.
"You watch him on a daily basis, you watch him during his at-bats, you watch him during batting practice and in the cage, and he possesses everything that a power-hitting third baseman should have," Kazmar said of Riley.
For now, Riley said he'll keep working on finding the perfect daily regimen to help him be a more consistent power hitter and fielder. Come winter, he's already planning out his stay at Mississippi State for offseason workouts to prepare for 2019.
At the clip he's going, Riley may soon join the likes of Albies, Camargo and other young Braves before then. He got a glimpse of the Major League lifestyle, when he was on-hand for teammate Kolby Allard's big-league debut at Suntrust Park on July 31 after Gwinnett's game was postponed by rain. He sat alongside Allard's family and friends as the lefty had his dream come true.
"When that day comes for me, I'm just going to be excited with family and friends back home," Riley said. "I know Kolby will probably already be there when that happens so it'll be cool to experience it with him and the other guys there in the dugout."