When 2017 began, Hunter Greene was taking classes as a senior at Notre Dame High School in California. In May he graced the cover of Sports Illustrated. In June the Cincinnati Reds were elated to see him there at #2 in the draft and made their selection. A month later the 17-year-old right handed pitcher would sign for a draft record signing bonus under the new pool limits.
Despite signing in the first week of July, it would be a while before Hunter Greene would see the field. During his senior season he shut down his pitching in order to limit the risk of injury before the draft. That happened in early April. It meant that he had gone two months without really pitching in games, and so he and the Reds took time working him back into games.
In August he would finally make his professional debut, though it would be as a designated hitter, and not as a pitcher. Many scouts believed he was a 1st round caliber shortstop, and Hunter Greene wasn’t quite ready to give up the idea of being a position player as well as a pitcher. Between August 8th and August 23rd he would make seven starts as the designated hitter, going 7-30 with two doubles and a triple. He hit just .233/.233/.367 in limited action at the plate.
Four days after his last appearance as a designated hitter, Hunter Greene would finally debut as a pitcher. At home against the Helena Brewers, the just turned 18-year-old threw a shutout inning of work. It also included a strikeout. He topped out at 101.7 MPH on the day. His next outing, on September 1st, couldn’t have gone much worse. On the road against Missoula, Greene recorded just one out and allowed six runs on six hits with a strikeout. He rebounded well five days later, allowing just one hit and one walk in 3.0 innings with four strikeouts. That would end his season as the Mustangs fell just short of the playoffs.
For all 2017 Season Reviews and Scouting Reports – click here (these will come out during the week throughout the offseason).
Hunter Greene Scouting Report
Fastball | From a velocity standpoint, it seems that right now, Greene may be unmatched in the minor leagues. His fastball sits in the 98-101 MPH range. When it’s at it’s best, it also shows good movement at that velocity.
Slider | The breaking ball of choice for Hunter Greene works in the upper 80’s. It’s already improved since his time in high school and flashes itself as a plus offering. It still can be inconsistent.
Change Up | His third offering, the pitch works in the low 90’s. It flashes itself as above-average right now, but like the slider, is inconsistent.
Curveball | He threw this pitch in high school, working in the upper 70’s. He seems to have backed off of it as a professional in favor of the slider.
Entering the draft, Hunter Greene was drawing rave reviews for his athleticism, for his fastball, for how mature he was both on and off of the field. Speaking with scouts and evaluators both inside and outside of the organization who had a chance to see Greene during instructional league, and even during earlier parts of 2017, those reviews may have been under reported. The quickness in which he was able to make adjustments was noted by several people I spoke with who saw his outings in instructional league. After struggling in one outing, his next outing against the same team was pure domination as he showed improved stuff across the board.
There are things that Hunter Greene will need to continue to work on. His consistency, building up his innings workload, and remaining healthy will be keys for him moving forward. His upside as a true #1 starting pitcher is rare. So rare that I spoke with multiple evaluators who would have ranked him as the organizations top prospect right now.