Austin Riley Earns May Rookie of the Month After Astoundingly Good Debut
By Adam Weinrib
Exactly how much do you have to mash in a given month to win top rookie honors despite only playing 15 games?
Apparently, we officially have that answer: Austin Riley's stat line oughtta do it.
Riley put up seven dingers, 20 RBI, and a .356 average in his first half-month in the league, and that was more than enough to capture the hardware.
Congratulations to @austinriley1308 for being named the National League Rookie of the Month for May!#ChopOn pic.twitter.com/38qOyJM7SO
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 3, 2019
While there may eventually be some Riley-Ender Inciarte drama to sort out once the roster's at full strength, there can be no debate at this point: the kid can mash, and we should appreciate everything he's done in such a short time frame.
Austin Riley...
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) June 1, 2019
- joins Rhys Hoskins, Trevor Story & Carlos Delgado as the only players in MLB history with 8+ HR through first 16 career games.
- ties the mark for most RBI (22) through first 16 career games. pic.twitter.com/VmmNXv7Chm
It feels like we've heard Riley's name bandied about forever as either the future of the team or possible trade bait (exhale), but he's still only 22. Braves fans should be excited for more exemplary months in the not-so-distant future from their powerful Swiss Army Knife.