Austin Riley

Riley's 2024 season was one to forget. He suffered a fractured right hand in mid-August, ending his season, just when it seemed like he was hitting his stride after an uncharacteristically average first half. His first two months were downright bad, as Riley had a .228/.295/.353 line at the end of May (82 wRC+). From that point on, he looked much more like the player that slugged 33-plus homers with 93-plus RBI in each of the prior three seasons. Overall, his strikeout rate remained right around his career average of 25.7 percent, and he ranked in the 94th percentile or above in average exit velocity, barrel rate and hard-hit percentage. Entering his age-28 season, Riley remains an offensive force to be reckoned with, and there may be an opportunity to buy low coming off a down year. He should still be considered among the best of the rest behind Jose Ramirez at third base. Read Past Outlooks