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Austin Riley Named Rookie of the Month For May

By Deke Lloyd

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 15: Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves rounds first base after his first Major League home run in the fourth inning during his MLB debut against the St. Louis Cardinals at SunTrust Park on May 15, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 15: Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves rounds first base after his first Major League home run in the fourth inning during his MLB debut against the St. Louis Cardinals at SunTrust Park on May 15, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Austin Riley, unsurprisingly, was named NL Rookie of the Month. It comes as not surprise, because of the silly numbers this guy has put up. Riley has been tearing through the league, and is now properly recognized for what he has done since his promotion.

What more can be said about Austin Riley? The guy has been on a tear from the start of the season, whether that was in the minors or the big league. It doesn’t matter. Riley has hit any pitching put in front of him. It’s been a great start to what will, hopefully, he a great and long career with the Braves.

Riley has been putting up silly numbers since joining the Braves. In just 17 games, Riley is hitting .328/.366/.716. Also, Riley has hit 8 HRs and knocked in 22 RBI, already sixth most for the Braves this season. The league has been put on notice since Riley has been on his tear, and this award is an acknowledgement of how great he has been.

With Austin Riley coming into his own, the Braves have a good problem on their hands. How long will they ride Riley? And when he does slump, it has to happen eventually, what will the Braves do then? I don’t think there is anyway to pull this guy out of the lineup after his first month. He’s too good and his bat is too special. It’s going to have to be a decent argument for throwing Ender Inciarte back into the lineup after the month Riley has had. Yes, it’s only been a month of production, but this month has been more than Inciarte could hope to do in a season. The Braves, clearly, realized what kind of talent they had on their hands when they promoted Riley, and now it should be just as obvious that this kid can’t be pulled from the lineup. He’s too good.

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