Braves: Austin Riley apologized for accidental Chipper Jones diss

Mar 22, 2023

Austin Riley has quickly won the hearts of Atlanta Braves fans after stringing together a couple of superb seasons and being an integral part of the 2021 World Series Championship team. However, all of that built-up good faith was tested after he snubbed franchise legend and Hall of Famer Chipper Jones from his third base Mount Rushmore.

The omission is arguably taboo in all baseball circles, but it is downright indefensible in Atlanta, particularly by a member of the organization. Riley quickly made amends on Tuesday and said he personally spoke to the 1999 National League MVP.

"I forgot probably the most important guy in Chipper, and I apologized formally to him," he told Bally Sports: Braves, via Talkin' Baseball. "We are good, it's water under the bridge."

Austin Riley apologized to Chipper Jones for leaving him off of his third base Mount Rushmore 😂 pic.twitter.com/qCbIcKSAna

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 23, 2023

🚨 Get viral MLB graphics, memes, rumors and trending news delivered right to your inbox with the Clutch Newsletter.

The 26-year-old previously had Nolan Arenado, Alex Rodriguez, Mike Schmidt and Cal Ripken Jr. atop his Mount Rushmore before adding Jones to the mix. He did not say who would be bumped, though. Mistakes happen, but one has to wonder how Ripken made the cut. The Baltimore Orioles great played his prime years at shortstop before shifting to the hot corner for the last six years of his 21-season career.

While Chipper Jones had his limitations in the field, he stood out as one of the best hitters of his time. And that is no easy task in the Steroid Era. He amassed a lifetime .303 batting average, .401 on-base percentage and blasted 468 home runs. Those numbers are hard to forget.

Dan Fappiano · 8 hours ago

Shane Shoemaker · 8 hours ago

Andrew Meyers · 11 hours ago

Austin Riley is hoping to etch his name among the all-time third basemen when he calls it a career many years from now. That entails overcoming a slow start to his 2023 MLB season and getting back to being a focal point on one of baseball's best run organizations.

Perhaps some good mojo can come after publicly owning up to his big blunder.