ATLANTA, Georgia — He won the World Series and showed the world how well he can play. Well, now the world is noticing.
Southaven native Austin Riley has been with the Atlanta Braves for his third season in the Major League Baseball (MLB). At 24 years old, he has overcome challenges from games like when he suffered a partially torn LCL in his knee in 2019 and having a rough 2020 season, which led to people wondering if the Braves would trade him. But now that he is a part of a World Series champion team, his popularity with the fans has grown.
Tuesday, the MLB announced the winners for the third annual All-MLB teams. Riley was the only player from the Atlanta Braves that won a spot on the first team.
Austin Riley ended the 2021 season with a .303 average, 33 homers, 33 doubles and 107 RBIs (Runs Batted In) and has his first All-MLB selection thanks to votes from fans.
The MLB introduced its first-ever "All-MLB Team" awards in 2019 to honor and recognize players and their performance throughout the whole season. There are first and second teams, and fans accounted for half of the votes while an expert panel made up the other half.
Austin graduated from DeSoto Central High School in 2015 after playing on the varsity baseball team and winning the state championship. He was drafted in 2015 by the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the 2015 MLB June Amateur Draft as the 41st overall pick. He made his debut as Third Baseman on the Atlanta Braves in October 2019.