Riley Greene Could Bring A Special Skillset to the Detroit Tigers
Riley Greene was selected as the overall fifth player by the Detroit Tigers in the MLB draft of 2019. The reason Detroit Tigers went all gaga for Riley Greene is his tremendous skillset. He is a gem out in the field, making it difficult for the opposing teams offense.
The exceptional MLB player is ranked at number 31 as an overall prospect in the game. While Riley Greene is the number 9 outfielder in the MLB pipeline as well. He hits flawlessly with his bat. However, his glove work is also phenomenally. People who love baseball card collecting can easily get Riley Greene in the prospects category.
Amateur Career
Riley Greene is a native from Oviedo, Florida where he attended Paul J. Hagerty High School. He learned to swing a bat from Alan Greene, his father. Alan himself played Division II college baseball. However, later he started a baseball training facility on his own.
When Greene was a sophomore in high school, he was known as one of the best hitters. In 2018, Greene played for the Team USA in U-18 Pan-American Championship. His exceptional batting highlighted him. However, he was criticized for being slow. During his senior year, Riley Greene came back as a fast baseball hitter reaching an elite level.
Professional Period
Due to his exceptional gameplay, Riley Greene was signed by Detroit Tigers for $6.18 million. During the Gulf Coast League, Greene wasn’t able to hit any home runs. However, Detroit Tigers promoted him to a short season of New York Penn League. Riley Greene tripled in his first game against Connecticut, hit an exceptional monster hit, and a month later got promoted again.
Greene was not able to play any minor league in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and league cancellations. In 2021, Greene represented Detroit Tigers with Spencer Torkelson in the All-Star Future Game. Later he got promoted to Toledo Mud Hens of the Triple-A East.
Is Riley Greene A Solid Chance for Detroit Tigers?
The statistics are great, and Riley Greene is a pretty good prospect. However, prospects fail all the time. And this is the harsh reality of the MLB. Top prospects like Riley Greene can be amazing in the MiLB (Minor League Baseball). But can they be the same for MLB (Major League Baseball)? Let’s scrutinize it!
Strengths to be Capitalized
This is true that if Detroit Tigers desire to create an impact, they need someone with unique skillsets. Is Riley Greene that someone? Can Riley Greene bring a special skillset to the table?
The basic strength of Riley Greene starts with his bat. The swing of his bat is pretty quick, ensuring a good speed when hit with force. But unfortunately, this isn’t something unique as many players are amazing with their bats and can hit with speed. The difference is that Greene can cover the zone with his barrel with prominence.
Due to his flexible body and quick reflexes, Riley Greene can adjust himself and use his hands to reach that barrel to the baseball. His hands and eye coordination are impeccable and that’s what makes him an exciting power baseball hitter.
Among many powerful hits, Riley Greene’s swing to hit the ball at an estimated 412 feet was one of the most remarkable moments for the Detroit Tigers. That swing is comprised of all necessary elements. The swift hand movement, the feel for the barrel, and the genuine eye and hand coordination.
As per critics, the pitch was served on the platter and that’s why Greene was able to hit such a phenomenal swing. But in another match where the pitch was below the zone, Greene did it again. With the appropriate powerful hit, feel of the barrel, and perfect eye-hand coordination, Greene made a swing decision in 3-2 count for a triple.
The critics who were once criticizing were left bamboozled. The timing was everything for such a powerful hit. Greene smartly put down his foot from the load and at that instant started swinging the bat. It was simply a split-second pause that made a huge impact. This proved that Riley Greene has some incredible pitch recognition skills.
Greene proved that he isn’t great with the bat only. He can be amazing with the gloves as well. During the second Spring Training of 2020, Riley Greene became part of a historic moment. The first baseman C.J. Cron golfed quite a low, where he pitched down the left-field line. Greene smartly drifted back to the right while accurately timing his jump and snatched the ball before it could hit the bullpen. What a tremendous catch and fielding. This catch by Riley Greene got him a nomination for Catch of the Year.
In August 2021, Riley Greene again proved himself and did another outstanding catch. He proved to Detroit Tigers that he is an all-rounder and can hit runs and stop others from running as well.
Weakness to Work Upon
There are only two weaknesses that Riley Greene faces at the moment. One is his swing decisions while the other is not being fast enough. Sometimes Riley Greene isn’t able to make a prominent swing decision and misses great opportunities. On the other hand, Greene is still not too fast. He is a below average runner. But this shouldn’t be much concern to a 21-year-old Riley Greene who has time to fix this. His weaknesses can be overcome and turned into strengths.
The Bottom Line
It’s pretty evident that Riley Greene is a powerful hitter and an enthusiastic fielder. He can hit the ball with his bat pretty hard. And can stop a ball in its track with brilliance. Such a special and nifty skillset confirms that he can prove himself as an asset to Detroit Tigers. A little bit more polishing and Riley Greene can become a sensational name in MLB in no time.
Author Scott Trick has collected sports cards since the early 80’s and because of his love for collecting he started the website https://sportscardsauthority.com. His favorite players are Robin Yount and Hank Aaron, but he cherishes all sports and all cards like they are art.
