BRAVES TALK: Who wins the 3B job? Riley or Camargo?

The competition for third base is getting interesting.

Tuesday in North Port, both Johan Camargo and Austin Riley contributed offensively. Camargo was 1-3, while Riley was 1-3 with a two-run home run.

Camargo is now hitting .389 on the spring, while Riley is hitting .316.

This is a competition that is likely to go down to the wire. Camargo was the starter at third base in 2018, and then he was replaced in 2019 when the Braves signed slugger Josh Donaldson. Riley has been viewed as the future third baseman for the last few years, and he’s showing he might be ready after doing an apprentice in left field last season.

Camargo simply wants his job back, while Riley is showing he wants the future to start now.

The Braves sound like they do not want either player to go to the bench. Camargo sulked and was unhappy at being replaced last year, and he failed as a super utility player. He came to camp this season in great shape, obviously determined to prove he’s not a reserve.

And Riley has obviously worked on his swing. He spent time with Mike Brumley, the Braves minor league hitting instructor, over the winter. Riley knows he must cut down on his strikeouts to play everyday at the big-league level. Pitchers made the adjustment on him after his fast start last summer, and now he must make the adjustment to become a regular in a lineup.

Could the Braves platoon these two players at third base? Well, Camargo is a switch-hitter. In 2018, when he was the starter at third base, Camargo hit .270 as a right-handed hitter against left-handed pitching and .272 as a left-handed hitter against right-handed pitching. While last season, the right-handed hitting Riley hit .262 against southpaws and only .215 against right-handers.

Does Riley perhaps play first base in 15-20 games if Freddie Freeman can’t play every day? Well, that’s a thought, although Camargo has also played some at first base in a pinch.

These are two good players who deserve to play every day. So, what will the Braves do? Bill Shanks discusses this topic in the video above.

Listen to The Bill Shanks Show weekdays at 3:00 p.m. ET on Middle Georgia’s ESPN. You can listen online at TheSuperStations.com. Follow Bill on Twitter at @billshanks and you can email him at thebillshanksshow@yahoo.com.