Ronald Acuña Jr. has glowing praise of Braves teammate Austin Riley

Ronald Acuña Jr. knew that Austin Riley was going to become a star with the Atlanta Braves.

As Ronald Acuña Jr. is having an MVP-level season playing right field for the Atlanta Braves, we would be foolish to overlook the breakout year Austin Riley is having at the hot corner.

Riley is slashing .299/.409/.453 at the plate for the Braves this season. He continues to display slick glove work at third base. While he always had the talent at the plate, his refined approach could be attributed to the work he has done in the cage with hitting consultant Chipper Jones. Riley has been one of the Braves’ most consistent players this year, and Acuña is not surprised.

Acuña already calling Riley “a superstar” is a tad flattering, but he has played like one this year.

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Ronald Acuña Jr. is not surprised that Austin Riley is becoming “a superstar”

Throughout much of the offseason, Riley’s name was dangled in trade rumors. He would have been the piece of note to have gone the Colorado Rockies’ way in a deal for Nolan Arenado, much like in the potential blockbuster trade for Kris Bryant with the Chicago Cubs. All the while, Riley has silenced the haters for over a month now. His clutch hitting has saved the day on many occasions.

Ultimately, Riley is truly coming into his own this season. He provided a ton of power during his rookie season in 2019. While it certainly got people out of their seats whenever he connected on one, Riley was unable to hit above .250 during his first two years in the league. Even though he hits in the same lineup with Acuña, Freddie Freeman and Marcell Ozuna, Riley is holding his own.

If Riley continues to rake like this, the Braves could catch fire at any point this baseball season.