Trey Riley

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Atlanta Braves #29 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: A popup arm in the 2018 draft who excelled at John A. Logan (Ill.) JC and showcased premium pure stuff, Riley signed for $450,000 in the fifth round before showing his control had a long way to go in his professional debut.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: After starting for most of the 2019 season, Riley moved to the bullpen during his last five games, where he struggled to find the strike zone, throwing just 47 percent of his pitches for strikes out of the bullpen compared to around 59 percent in a starting role. His pure stuff suits a reliever role, with a fastball that's been up to 96-97 mph at its best but this season was down into the low 90s more frequently. The slider is his best secondary, and it has a chance to be above-average, while Riley's curve and changeup lag behind.
  
  THE FUTURE: Mechanically, Riley has a clean delivery and arm action, but his control is still limiting him from making the most of his pure stuff.
• 
  Ranked Atlanta Braves #27 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Riley transferred to John A. Logan (Ill.) JC after throwing one game at Oklahoma State. His career with the Vols went much better as he struck out 117 in only 77.2 innings at Logan.
  
  Scouting Report: Riley's best is really impressive. He sits 92-94 mph and touches 96-97 with a plus fastball that has above-average life. Riley's slider is also a plus pitch and he's quickly refined his curveball into a potentially above-average downer as well. He has toyed with a below-average changeup. Riley struggled to throw strikes in his pro debut and he's prone to spinning off toward first base, but he has solid athleticism and a relatively clean delivery.
  
  The Future: Riley is one of the higher-upside, but riskiest arms in the low minors for the Braves.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #80 prospect in 2018 draft
  John A. Logan (Ill.) JC has become a pipeline for power pitchers. Matthias Dietz was a second-round pick of the Orioles in 2016 and Zach Haake impressed scouts last year before moving on to Kentucky, where he's expected to be Day Two pick this season. But Riley has the best combination of stuff and athleticism of the trio. Riley made one rough appearance with Oklahoma State in 2017 before transferring to Logan. He shows signs of being a future middle-of-the-rotation starter as he mixes a 93-95 mph plus fastball that touches 97 mph. His 85-89 mph slider is consistently above-average and is a plus-plus pitch at its best. Riley''s changeup is well below-average and he doesn't need it much right now, but he's toyed with a curveball that quickly developed into a pitch that will flash average potential. Riley's athleticism, easy velocity and improving delivery make him on of the better pop-up prospects in the Midwest.

• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Riley always showed big pure stuff going back to his time with Logan (Ill.) JC, but this spring he took a step forward with his control in a full-time reliever role. He threw his fastball in the 94-98 mph range with a good slider, but was walking a career-low 2.5 batters per nine over 25.2 innings of work with High-A Rome.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: A popup arm in the 2018 draft who excelled at John A. Logan (Ill.) JC and showcased premium pure stuff, Riley signed for $450,000 in the fifth round before showing his control had a long way to go in his professional debut.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: After starting for most of the 2019 season, Riley moved to the bullpen during his last five games, where he struggled to find the strike zone, throwing just 47 percent of his pitches for strikes out of the bullpen compared to around 59 percent in a starting role. His pure stuff suits a reliever role, with a fastball that's been up to 96-97 mph at its best but this season was down into the low 90s more frequently. The slider is his best secondary, and it has a chance to be above-average, while Riley's curve and changeup lag behind.
  
  THE FUTURE: Mechanically, Riley has a clean delivery and arm action, but his control is still limiting him from making the most of his pure stuff.