Black MLB Players #13: SP Hunter Greene, Cincinnati Reds

Even with how much talent he has in his arm, Hunter Greene has a long way to go before even scratching the surface of what he is capable of on the mound.

Path To Professional Baseball

Hunter Greene is a 23-year-old starting pitcher from Los Angeles, California who plays for the Cincinnati Reds. He was committed to UCLA on a full baseball scholarship, which happens to be one of the top college baseball programs in the country.

Viewed as a top 5 talent by many individuals, Greene was drafted with the 2nd overall pick of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds straight out of high school and received a 7 million dollar signing bonus. Greene received the highest signing bonus ever given out to a draftee under the current draft system implemented by the MLB up to that point.

Greene was seen as one of the best high school prospects since his sophomore year of high school, being included on the United States national baseball team in the 2015 18-and-under World Cup. Greene is an alumnus of MLB’s Youth Academy in Compton, California as well, which has produced a lot of professional Black baseball players in recent years. Alumni to make it to MLB include J.P. Crawford and Dom Smith.

Greene was riddled with injuries throughout his MiLB career, only throwing 72.2 innings between 2017 and 2020. The major injuries he suffered during this period were centered around his throwing arm, especially his elbow.

For the 2021 MiLB season, he pitched 106.1 innings across 21 starts to the tune of a 3.30 ERA with 139 strikeouts. He once again established himself as the Reds’ top prospect and one of the most exciting starting pitchers in MiLB.

Greene would make his MLB debut during the 2022 season as he was on the Cincinnati Opening Day Roster. He would throw a little over 125 innings, posting a 4.44 ERA. The former two-way phenom flashed his potential on baseball’s most competitive stage with a complete game shutout as the pinnacle of his first MLB season.

Player Profile

Hunter Greene is a right-handed starting pitcher who is 6'4'’, and weighs 215 pounds. He throws three pitches from a traditional 3/4ths arm slot: fastball, slider, and changeup. He is a top-tier athlete and possesses traits that make him a premium talent.

Greene’s trademark is his fastball, which sits in the upper nineties and can be thrown as hard as 103 mph. It is his most heavily used pitch as he throws it more than half the time. It grades out as an average fastball despite its elite velocity due to its poor shape. It is a very flat pitch with absolutely no sinking or rising action although it does have some arm-side horizontal movement. Per Baseball Savant, opposing hitters posted a .261 batting average with a .514 slugging percentage against Greene’s fastball during the 2022 season.

Greene’s secondary pitch is a slider that he throws over 40% of the time. It is his best pitch and primary out pitch in two-strike counts. It has a slightly above-average vertical and horizontal break to go with an average velocity of 88 miles per hour. His changeup is a rarely thrown third pitch, using it less than 10% of the time. It is a show-me pitch that is borderline unusable.

For a power pitcher, Greene has uncharacteristically great command. He is known for throwing strikes and limiting walks. Even with this development, his ability to control and place his pitches within the strike zone needs a lot of work. He leaves his fastball in hittable spots in the zone far too often and does not hit the upper third of the strike zone as often as he should even though that is where his fastball shows viability.

Greene uses the slider too often and does not use it correctly. His poor ability to locate the fastball enables opposing hitters to ignore the slider, dulling its effectiveness.

Greene is also lauded for his intelligence, maturity, and competitiveness. He also has been described by some as possessing the will to become better. He has been undeterred by missing time due to injury and the canceled season, and this determination is a huge sign of great makeup.

Conclusion

Hunter Greene may not have a lengthy professional track record, but he still stands out due to his sky-high potential. In my opinion, Greene has a chance to be a full-fledged ace, and a leader in the clubhouse wherever he winds up playing. Greene does not just offer incentives on the mound but possesses leadership skills and intelligence to transform the culture of the organization he is in.

Even with how much talent he has in his arm, Greene has a long way to go before even scratching the surface of what he is capable of on the mound. He will have to put in a lot of work to make his current arsenal more viable and effective versus opponents, especially with his command and sequencing. The former shortstop has the makeup to put his head down and work until the results show, and only time will tell whether he accomplishes this or not.

Even if he winds up closer to his floor than his ceiling, I think that Hunter Greene can compete in a starting rotation on a Major League Baseball team.