Austin Riley humbled after slip up as All-Star accidentally leaves out Braves legend from his Mount Rushmore: "I've apologized formally to him"
Austin Riley has landed himself in hot water after snubbing Atlanta Braves legend and coach Chipper Jones.
Riley and Jones share a lot in common. They both grew up in the south, both are right-handed, both were drafted in the first round by the Braves, both are All-Stars and both are third basemen. The fact that these two players are so similar might be one of the reasons Riley's latest blunder is so comical.
Speaking during an interview with Chris Henderson, Riley was asked to name his Mount Rushmore of third baseman. The 26-year-old put together an impressive list, but unfortunately left off one of the all-time great Braves players.
In a recent interview, Riley was quick to backtrack and has apparantly apologized to Jones for the mistake:
"I forget probably the most important guy in Chipper, and I've apologized formally to him...Chipper is definitely in it."
Austin Riley apologized to Chipper Jones for leaving him off of his third base Mount Rushmore 😂 https://t.co/qCbIcKSAna
"Austin Riley apologized to Chipper Jones for leaving him off of his third base Mount Rushmore" - Talkin' Baseball
Riley's list included two Hall of Fame players in former Baltimore Orioles infielder Cal Ripken and Philadelphia Phillies' Mike Schmidt. Both players played their entire MLB careers with one organization. New York Yankees World Series champion Alex Rodriguez made the cut. Seven-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner Nolan Arenado rounded out the list.
Austin Riley was part of the Atlanta Braves side that won the World Series in 2021
Riley has made a name for himself in Altanta since being drafted by the organization in 2015. The highly-rated third baseman has worked his way up the ladder and established himself as one of the top players in his position.
Riley was a part of the Braves' 2021 World Series winning side that defeated the the Houston Astros in six games. That season, he was selected to the All-MLB First Team and won a Silver Slugger Award.
Austin Riley names his Mount Rushmore of third basemen
Nolan Arenado
Alex Rodriguez
Mike Schmidt
Cal Ripken
(via @See_Hendo) https://t.co/RvqilFIBtk
"Austin Riley names his Mount Rushmore of third basemen Nolan Arenado Alex Rodriguez Mike Schmidt Cal Ripken (via @See_Hendo)" - Talkin' Baseball
The powerful righty followed up his exceptional 2021 with another stellar year last season. Riley was selected to his first-ever All-Star Game after a strong start. He finished the year with 38 home runs, 93 RBIs and an .877 OPS.
The Braves rewarded Riley for his hard work with a 10-year, $212 million extension in August of last year. The contract looks like a bargain for one of the league's star infielders.
If he continues at this rate, it wont be long before some young up-and-comer is adding Austin Riley to his Mount Rushmore.