Greg Walker talks about Austin Riley

Bill Shanks talks with Greg Walker about Braves third baseman Austin Riley

Austin Riley is expected to become Atlanta’s third baseman in 2020. Sure, Johan Camargo may have something to say about that, but Riley was having a great spring before the Grapefruit League season was paused.

Riley was hitting .357 with two home runs and four runs batted in. Most believed Riley might start out in Triple-A, but with the expected shortened season, the Braves will likely want him on the active roster for the entire season.

Riley had quite a start to his MLB career last season. He leveled off, but Riley still finished with 18 home runs and 49 runs batted in for the season in 297 plate appearances. They Braves would love to see 36 home runs and 100 RBI over the course of a full season.

The strikeouts are a problem, but as our guest Greg Walker tells us, Riley has been working hard with Braves minor league hitting coach Mike Brumlee to correct that. Riley had 108 strikeouts last season, so that must improve for him to be a regular contributor to the Braves team.

If Riley provides power in the middle of the lineup, the Braves may not miss Josh Donaldson as much as many believe they will. Riley has Donaldson-like power, and if he improves on his strikeouts Riley could be a similar player.

Listen to The Bill Shanks Show weekdays at 3:00 p.m. ET on Middle Georgia’s ESPN. You can listen online at TheSuperStations.com. Follow Bill on Twitter at @billshanks and you can email him at thebillshanksshow@yahoo.com.