BRADENTON, Fla. — Austin Riley is aiming to win a Gold Glove in 2024 after being a finalist last season. And that’s a realistic ambition.
Remember when debates raged on about his defense? The outsiders’ conversations shifted from “Is he any good?” to “How good is he?”
“I think it’s just continuing to learn myself as a defender,” Riley told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Just the little things. The micro-adjustments to give me a little bit of an extra step here or there, an angle here or there. Just learning hops, when I can attack a ball, when I need to back off. Just those little things have helped me make those jumps.”
Riley is a complete player. He’s hitting for average – .286 across the past three seasons – while still mashing (.525 slugging percentage in that time). But the defensive improvement is most notable. Only Ke’Bryan Hayes (21; 2023 Gold Glove winner), Ryan McMahon (17) and Matt Chapman (12) accounted for more defensive runs saved as third basemen than Riley (9) last season. His .972 fielding percentage was a career-best over a full season (the MLB average was .963).
“It’s a part of his game – everybody talks about the bat, but he works probably twice as hard on his defense,” Braves starter Max Fried said. “He takes a lot of pride in it. I know ever since I’ve been playing with him, since he was 18 years old in (High-A) Rome, it was something he worked hard on every single day. Whether it was fielding the barehanded bunt that he’s really good at, those kinds of plays.
“He’s always taken a lot of pride in being able to do it, especially because I think a lot of people initially labeled him as a pitcher (entering the draft) and didn’t think he’d stay over at third base. So probably a little bit of a chip on his shoulder to be able to say, ‘I can do it, and I can do it at an elite level.’”
Of course, one could find defensive numbers that still don’t reflect well on Riley, even from last season. Everyone has their opinion on imperfect defensive metrics. In the past, those numbers typically graded Riley poorly, which has led manager Brian Snitker to make several comments suggesting spectators disregard those numbers in favor of the eye test.
Indeed, those who watched Riley on a regular basis would argue he wasn’t as bad as some metrics portrayed. Last season provided some validation as Riley continued to improved.
“I definitely take notice of it, but for me, I love what Snit says, I think the eye test is the ultimate (judge),” Riley said. “I think I passed that. I just want to get outs, help pitchers, and when I can do that, whatever the stats say, I’m not too worried about it. As long as I’m getting outs when I need to, and helping my pitchers, that’s all I can ask for.”
Riley has steadily improved every year, focusing on every aspect from his body to his baseball IQ. It’s that type of commitment that made the Braves feel comfortable signing him to the largest contract in franchise history in the summer of 2022 (10 years, $212 million).
A Gold Glove would put Riley in rare air. Perhaps a surprising fact: The Braves have had only two third basemen win Gold Gloves in the Atlanta era: Clete Boyer (1969) and Terry Pendleton (1992).
“I think continuing to build off what I did last year,” Riley said. “Just continue to show that I’m a good defender, that it wasn’t just a fluke. Continuing to build those steppingstones and build a resume to where I can hopefully win one.”
A Mississippi native, Riley is vying for his third consecutive All-Star nod. He would become the first Braves third baseman to make three consecutive Midsummer Classics since Hall of Famer Chipper Jones in 1996-98. Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews holds the franchise record with eight consecutive All-Star appearances as a third baseman (1955-62).
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