The Atlanta Braves have been one of the best teams in baseball throughout the past two seasons and that was evident a year ago when they won the World Series. Now, Atlanta is 21 games above .500 and is in second place in the National League East, 3.5 games behind the first-place New York Mets.
One of the reasons why Atlanta has been able to find the type of success that they have is because of Austin Riley. The 25-year-old at third baseman has been one of the best players in baseball throughout the past few seasons as he hit .303 a year ago with 33 home runs and turned around and is now hitting .301 with 29 home runs.
They were able to keep him in Atlanta and things are starting to look very bright for the future of this Braves team.
Atlanta Braves Extend Austin Riley To Massive Deal
The Atlanta Braves made the signing official:
“The Atlanta Braves today signed 3B Austin Riley to a 10-year contract worth $212 million that runs through the 2032 season, with a $20 million club option for 2033. Riley will make $ 15 million in 2023, $21 million in 2024, and $22 million over the remainder of the deal. He has agreed to donate $2.12 million to the Atlanta Braves Foundation.
Riley, 25, is hitting 301 with 29 home runs, 68 RBI and a .964 OPS in 101 games this season. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound third baseman was named to his first All-Star team this season, and is leading the major leagues with 61 extra-base hits, while his OPS ranks sixth and his home run total ranks fourth. He finished July with 26 extra-base hits, the most ever by a Braves player in a calendar month and breaking Hall-of-Famer Hank Aaron’s previous record set in 1961 by one. He also hit .423 with 11 home runs in July, joining Hall-of-Famer Chipper Jones as the only Braves players to hit .400 with double-digit home runs in a single month.
Last season, Riley finished seventh in the NL MVP award voting after hitting .303 with 33 home runs and 107 RBI. He also won his first Silver Slugger award and was named to the All-MLB First Team. In the postseason, he hit two home runs, delivered a walk-off single in Game 1 of the NLCS vs. Los Angeles (NL), and hit .320 (8-for-25) in the World Series with three RBI to help the Braves capture the team’s fourth World Series title.”
Atlanta is hopeful that Riley will help them win another World Series sometime soon.
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