Braves Austin Riley Nominated for Award by Players Alumni Association

The Braves' third baseman is the team's nominee for the next round of awards given out by the players and former players

Austin Riley is up for an award given out by the Players Association / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley has been named as the team nominee for the Heart and Hustle Award. 

This is the second time that Riley has been nominated for the award - the first time came the season prior in 2023. 

Riley batted .256 with 19 home runs and 56 RBIs across 110 games for the Braves in 2024. However, those numbers don’t reflect the production he provided. Sixteen of his home runs and 36 of his RBIs came after June 13 (57 games). This would put him on pace for 45 home runs and 102 RBIs over 162 games. 

The Braves missed that production down the stretch. Since work off the field can factor into the decision - it’s included in the descriptions of winners on MLB.com - Riley’s charity golf tournament will likely come into play. 

While he had a slow start - costing him any shot at a third consecutive All-Star appearance - he was very much back to form at the time of his injury. 

He did what he could to get himself back on the field following a right-hand fracture in mid-August. He just didn’t heal quickly enough. 

However, despite the early end to his season, he has a chanace to be recognized for his contributions on and off the field.

The award is presented by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association. The award is meant to award the player “who demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game.”

The voting is done by former and active MLB players. Fans get to vote, but it’s only five percent of the total count. The award goes to a single player as opposed to one in each league like other awards. 

Riley has a chance to be the second-ever Braves player to win the award. The only Braves recipient of the award was Ozzie Albies in 2021. 

The Heart and Hustle Award will be presented on Friday, Nov. 22, on MLB Network.