That’s what happened to Sosa in 1998. Bill Shanks talks about what might happen at the hot corner in 2020. “Both of them have done really well,” Snitker said. Riley seems intent and quite capable of keeping this battle interesting through the end of camp. While Maris’ 61 homers have been passed a few times now, his 1961 season is still the stuff of legend. Oh, to put up 66 homers in a season and be an afterthought. He and Sosa were racing to beat Maris’ record. Eventually he would bulk up a bit and become a slugger as well. Nope, it’s not Mike Trout. In addition to having the most career home runs in MLB history, he also had the best individual season ever. He would also be the better defensive option at the hot corner. For the lead. Snitker: 'If you're not playing them every day, then you're not going to do them justice', Riley, Camargo locked in battle for 3rd base. “Getting the opportunity to work there and get a lot of reps, it’s awesome. Minter talks about the Friday start against the Dodgers, Braves manager Brian Snitker talks about Game Six of the National League Championship Series, Atlanta Braves pitcher Will Smith talks the loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Five of the NLCS, Braves manager Brian Snitker talks about Atlanta's 3-2 lead in the NLCS despite the 7-3 loss in Game Five, Braves reliever Chris Martin talks about shutting the Dodgers down in the seventh inning of Game Four of the NLCS as the Braves take a 3-1 lead in the series, Atlanta Braves pitcher Bryse Wilson talks about his six-inning masterpiece against the Los Angeles Dodgers in NLCS Game Four, Braves manager Brian Snitker talks about his team's big win over the Dodgers in Game Four of the NLCS, Marcell Ozuna looks back on his big night as the Braves beat the Dodgers 10-2 to take a 3-1 lead in the NLCS. You can listen online at TheSuperStations.com. Braves: Ozzie Albies close to becoming best second baseman in baseball, Mets' Jacob deGrom Wins 2019 NL Cy Young Award over Max Scherzer, What will it cost to sign Josh Donaldson, what should Braves offer, Atlanta Braves financial report: once again, nobody reads the whole thing, Top 25 Super Bowl Performances of All Time, Each NHL Team's Most Likely Future Hall of Famer, 30 Greatest Teams in Premier League History, 28 most memorable buzzer beaters in March Madness history. “I love where Austin is at offensively. Is Zack Wheeler a good fit for the 2020 Atlanta Braves rotation? Sign up now ▸, Related slideshow: Who has the most home runs in a season for every MLB franchise? Heading into 2010, he had 59 home runs in his career. He got off to such a great start, so he was bound to slow down. Do you know these lucrative Social Security secrets? How long will the record be safe? #NLCS pic.twitter.com/plSzfulh7a. But if all goes well this season, he may not need that outfield glove any longer. Howard’s one skill was slugging, but he could do that with aplomb at his peak. And they wonder why there are attendance problems in Miami. “I felt like later in the season I was more focused on trying not to swing at that slider, so I wasn’t catching up to the fastball. Since he played in more games, though, some wanted to put an asterisk on Maris’ 61 homers. In 2013, Davis hit 53 homers to lead the majors. Atlanta Braves 3B prospect Austin Riley warming up on defense and taking ground balls at third base during a 2018 minor league spring training game. They both did it, but in the end McGwire got the upper hand. He was certainly at the prime of his powers in 2006 when he hit a whopping 58 dingers. He racked up a ton of homers in his career, including 52 in 2002. The one where Greg Vaughn hit 50 and Sammy Sosa hit 66? After surging through the early weeks of his career, Riley constructed a meager .495 OPS over 38 games during the rest of the season. Well we have news for you. More News. “It wasn’t real good. Riley was good his 58 games in left field and even the two times he played right field. After hitting .280 with 14 home runs and 37 RBI in his first 161 at bats, Riley hit just .150 with a .203 OBP, four home runs and 12 RBI in 113 at bats. It isn’t even Vlad Guerrero. Sometimes you have to take a risk and see if the player develops. He saw a little time at first base, when the Braves were uncertain if Freddie Freeman would be ready to go. Arizona has that one crazy season from Luis Gonzalez. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images). Of course since this was 2001, some are skeptical in hindsight. Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley had a great comment about his huge home run in Game 1 of the NLCS on Monday night at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. In only his second full season in the league, 2007, Fielder hit 50 homers, which ended up being a personal best. Soler was considered one of the best prospects in baseball out of Cuba, but he couldn't stay healthy with the Cubs. The Hall of Famer had a somewhat brief career, as he missed three seasons for military service. Jones should be a Hall of Famer. Your privacy is safe with us. That’s when everything changed. Riley worked extensively this offseason with minor league hitting instructor Mike Brumlee, especially to stay away from bad breaking balls outside the strike zone. In 2000 Glaus smacked 47 homers for Anaheim. Mark Bowman has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001. Adeiny Hechavarria is starting at third base and batting ninth. Customize your email to get the latest news on your favorite sports, teams and schools. Given the era, some may view that with skepticism. He hit 49 home runs twice in his career, so he in a way is tied with himself for the record in Minnesota. A-Rod won the MVP in his final season with the Rangers, but it’s the year before, 2002, when he hit 57 homers. That’s just math. Still, there were signs of potential trouble, as he had a 31.8 percent strikeout rate and walked eight times during this stretch of 174 plate appearances. He didn’t win a ring in Texas, but you can’t blame Rodriguez for that. A lot of these records were set between 1998 and 2002. “Getting the opportunity to work there and get a lot of reps, it’s awesome. Killebrew did it the first time in 1964 and then again in 1969. When Riley started in 2016 full season, he was a free swinger who struggled defensively making plays. Minter talks about the Friday start against the Dodgers, Braves manager Brian Snitker talks about Game Six of the National League Championship Series, Atlanta Braves pitcher Will Smith talks the loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Five of the NLCS, Braves manager Brian Snitker talks about Atlanta's 3-2 lead in the NLCS despite the 7-3 loss in Game Five, Braves reliever Chris Martin talks about shutting the Dodgers down in the seventh inning of Game Four of the NLCS as the Braves take a 3-1 lead in the series, Atlanta Braves pitcher Bryse Wilson talks about his six-inning masterpiece against the Los Angeles Dodgers in NLCS Game Four, Braves manager Brian Snitker talks about his team's big win over the Dodgers in Game Four of the NLCS, Marcell Ozuna looks back on his big night as the Braves beat the Dodgers 10-2 to take a 3-1 lead in the NLCS. - Page 3 But former scouting director Brian Bridges, former scouting executive Roy Clark and current advisor Greg Walker all loved his bat. Michael Austin Riley (born April 2, 1997) is an American professional baseball third baseman and outfielder for the Riley struck out and walked in his other at-bats Friday and is hitting .333 (7-for-21 with just three strikeouts) in Grapefruit League games. The departure of Josh Donaldson … So, the season may start with Riley getting the first opportunity at the hot corner. Foxx was one of the original true sluggers in baseball. Vaughn did hit 50 homers in 1998, though. You may not recognize the name, on account of the fact he isn’t a particularly famous player and also because he retired in 1986. His father, Cecil, was quite the slugger, but Prince may have been even better at his peak. In the end, that year belonged to Big Mac. Braves’ Austin Riley had great comment about his huge home run in Game 1. Marcell Ozuna added an RBI single, and Ozzie Albies hit a 2-run home run (that Atlanta’s closer caught). In 2001, he hit a staggering 73 homers. Listen to The Bill Shanks Show weekdays at 3:00 p.m. The Rays and the Diamondbacks are the two most recent teams to join the majors. FORT MYERS, Fla. -- If Austin Riley eventually becomes the Braves’ starting third baseman, Atlanta would seemingly improve its depth by placing Johan Camargo 's offensive and defensive versatility on its bench. “The contact has been really good. The man rumored to be the source of the silhouette in the MLB logo was a tremendous slugger, leading the AL in homers six times. This was before the Padres moved to the spacious confines of Petco Park, which has suppressed homers quite a bit. We’ve got a long way to go, but they both have been very good.”. Riley has gone 4-for-13 with no extra-base hits through the first week of the Grapefruit League season. If the Riley experiment doesn’t work out, the Braves can easily plug a quality player like Johan Camargo in at third. Johan Camargo will get the start at third base and will be making his first appearance in the lineup since September 5. Now? Yes, that’s the same number Foxx hit in the same city over 70 years prior. It was in 1977 that Foster not only hit 52 home runs but also won the NL MVP. After all, Alonso was a rookie in 2019. When you can do that one year and win a Gold Glove the next, you should be knocking on the door of Cooperstown. Most teams thought he was a pitcher. Apparently sign stealing didn’t help any Astros set a new franchise record for homers. He hit 59 homers in 2017 and won the NL MVP. Tampa doesn’t have that. Here are the benefits of him becoming the everyday first third baseman in 2020. Bill Shanks talks about what might happen at the hot corner in 2020. Powered by Minute Media © 2020 All Rights Reserved. This isn’t necessarily like football, where it has often been said if you have two quarterbacks, you have none. That’s what he’s trained in the minor leagues to be, and that’s what he might land for good starting this season. Davis batted a combined .172 between the 2018 and 2019 seasons, and even set a record for consecutive at-bats without a hit. Vaughn is one of the lesser-known names on this list, as he bounced around the majors and never led the league in homers. “I’ve grown up playing, and I want to play for a long time in the big leagues at third base,” Riley said. But he has shown his tremendous power potential with a couple of long flyouts, and he has struck out just once. Subscribe to Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the most comprehensive newsletter in sports.