It was a quiet offseason for the Atlanta Braves.
The team lost Dansby Swanson in free agency, after he signed a seven-year deal with the Chicago Cubs.
But they did acquire catcher Sean Murphy from the Oakland Athletics and gave him a contract extension.
But Murphy isn’t the only Brave to have received a contract extension in recent memory.
Third baseman Austin Riley received one during the 2022 season.
Riley has emerged as a superstar with the Braves and has become a threat in the middle of their lineup.
But he says he’s feeling pretty good entering the 2023 season.
Riley spoke with MLB analysts Carlos Pena and Lauren Shehadi to discuss his offseason work and why he feels good about where he is.
.@Braves star @austinriley1308 talks offseason adjustments in his swing and the pride he takes in wearing a Braves uniform.#MLBTonight | #SpringTraining | @LaurenShehadi | @Plakata pic.twitter.com/WDysxiK9e3
—MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 27, 2023
Riley said the biggest adjustments he made were with his swing.
He talked about how his teammate Ronald Acuna Jr.’s swing is very compact and straight towards the pitch, which is something he said he was trying to emulate.
He also discussed some other adjustments he has made over the years, recalling his younger days when his focus was driving the ball to left-center field, which made him susceptible to sliders.
Riley says his approach now is to drive the ball to the middle of the field and not to worry so much about the corners, which makes hitting sliders much easier.
Finally, the young slugger talked about what it means for him to be a part of the Braves organization, and how it’s important for him to honor the Braves tradition.
He believes the players General Manager Alex Anthopoulos brings to the team represent the organization well and play the game the right way.
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MLB Analysts Discuss The Importance Of Ronald Acuna Jr.
