In a 5-2 Braves win last night, Austin Riley sent an absolute moonshot to left-center field. His blast continued a streak of success at the Mets home venue, Citi Field, and it got me wondering — what exactly are his stats there?Â
https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1521283057168363529
The Numbers
11 games, 5 taters, 30 total bases, and 1.410 OPS. The Braves star third baseman has had a field day in New York, posting some insane numbers there, and that’s just since the start of 2021! Riley has dominated the Mets in their home park; sort of reminiscent to another Braves hall of fame third baseman, who won an MVP back in 1999.
MVP?
After finishing seventh in the MVP voting last season, Riley is showing 2021 was no fluke. Through only 23 games, he already has seven homers, good for fourth in the league. It’s not unrealistic to believe the 25-year-old could touch the 40 homer mark this season after he put 33 over the fence last season. Would that be good enough for the MVP award? Probably, if he continues to get on base at a clip anywhere near his current .376 on-base percentage. And if the Braves could get runners on in front of him, the RBIs will also begin to pile up in bunches.Â
Austin Riley ranks third in MLB with a .459 xwOBA, trailing only Mike Trout (.532) and Aaron Judge (.482). Confirms his .942 OPS hasn't been a fluke. In fact, you could say he's had some tough luck. The sum of his xOBA (.411) and xSLG (.699) is 1.110 https://t.co/tpApKHWPjH
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) May 2, 2022
Riley is currently one of the most underrated players in the game, but it won’t be that way for much longer. At this rate, multiple MVPs could be in his future.Â
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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