Austin Riley is a World Series champion, two-time Silver Slugger Award winner and two-time All-Star who has finished in the top 10 for National League MVP voting in three different seasons. Despite all of those accolades, it feels like the best might still be to come. He is knocking on the door of true superstardom, but in order to gain entry into that exclusive club, he needs to stay healthy.
Riley and the Braves fan base experienced a terrifying case of deja vu on Friday afternoon, as the 27-year-old third baseman got hit in the hand with a pitch in his first at-bat of a spring training meeting with the Washington Nationals.