It is no secret the start to the 2025 season has not gone the way it was intended.
The Atlanta Braves lost their first seven contests before coming home to beat the Miami Marlins before losing the next game to bring their record to 1-8. The most noticeable issue with the Braves early has been offense, and it has not just been one or two players.
After the first seven games of the season, last year’s clubhouse leader in batting average, Marcell Ozuna, was once again leading the Braves in batting average, but it was a paltry .188.
EVERYONE was off to a slow start.
In one of the games versus the Dodgers, the Braves had a bases-loaded, zero-out situation and could not produce a run. Out No. 2 in this sequence featured Austin Riley striking out looking, and after the game he was visibly upset, which is something that should not go unnoticed.
These guys are professionals, they know when things are going well, and you better believe that they know when things are going bad (sour fans are sure to let them know, just in case). But to see a player this visibly upset in postgame is telling.
As cheesy as this may sound, it is a sign that he cares, and wants this thing to get turned around. Something that the media likes to point to after the departures of both Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson is leadership, and who would take up the mantle of “clubhouse leader,” if that person ever really exists on professional sports teams, which is debatable.
The answer to this question is Austin Riley.
You will never see Riley try to police other players’ wardrobe choices, but you can see Riley being a leader on this team on a daily basis. Riley is visible and available on a daily basis during batting and fielding practice before games, and no one on the team takes winning (or losing) as seriously as Riley.
Where Riley goes, this Atlanta Braves team will follow.