The Atlanta Braves drafted Austin Riley out of high school in Mississippi with the 41st overall selection in 2015.
Riley was highly-regarded as a pitcher by many teams, and a number of teams had Riley higher-rated as a pitcher than a hitter, leading to his drafting surprising many draft pundits where the Braves selected him, especially as a third baseman.
The Braves sent Riley to their Gulf Coast League rookie team, where he showed very good power. After just 30 games, the Braves promoted Riley to Danville in the advanced rookie Appalachian League.
Combined between both levels, Riley came to the plate 252 times, hitting .