Hunter Greene (baseball)
Hunter Greene | |
---|---|
Cincinnati Reds | |
Pitcher | |
Born: Los Angeles, California | August 6, 1999|
Bats: Right Throws: Right |
Christian Hunter Greene (born August 6, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Cincinnati Reds organization. He attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California. The Reds selected Greene with the second overall selection of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.
Career
Starting in 2008, Greene trained in baseball at the Major League Baseball (MLB) Urban Youth Academy in Compton, California.[1] He played on the United States national baseball team in the 2015 18-and-under Baseball World Cup, where the United States won the gold medal.[2] Greene attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, where he played for the school's baseball team as a pitcher and shortstop.[3] He finished his high school baseball career with a 1.62 earned run average (ERA) and a .324 batting average, including a 0.75 ERA in his senior year.[4] He participated in the Junior Home Run Derby at the 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, and won.[5][6] During his senior year at Notre Dame, his fastball reached up to 102 miles per hour (164 km/h).[7] He became the 13th high school athlete to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated in April 2017.[8] He committed to attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on a college baseball scholarship to play for the UCLA Bruins.[9]
Greene was considered a potential first overall draft pick for the 2017 MLB draft.[10][11] The Cincinnati Reds selected him, as a pitcher, with the second overall selection.[4] Greene signed a professional contract with the Reds at the signing deadline, forgoing his commitment to UCLA, for a $7.23 million signing bonus, the largest bonus given out during the slotting system that began in 2012, and the largest bonus since Gerrit Cole received an $8 million bonus in 2011. The Reds assigned Greene to the Billings Mustangs of the Rookie-level Pioneer League.[12] He played as a pitcher and as a designated hitter on days he did not pitch.[13] He made three pitching appearances for Billings, totaling 4+1⁄3 innings pitched, and batted 7-for-30 (.233) as a designated hitter.[14]
In 2018, the Reds assigned Greene to the Dayton Dragons of the Class A Midwest League, where he appeared solely as a pitcher.[14] He represented the Reds at the 2018 All-Star Futures Game.[15] Greene spent all of 2018 with Dayton, compiling a 3–7 win-loss record with a 4.48 ERA in 18 starts. His season ended prematurely due to a sprained ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his pitching elbow.[16] After suffering a setback in his rehabilitation in March 2019 that further damaged the UCL, Greene underwent Tommy John surgery, ending his 2019 season.[17]
Personal life
Greene lives in Stevenson Ranch, California.[18] His mother, Senta, works as an educational consultant.[1] His father, Russell, played college football for Humboldt State University and is a private investigator. Russell worked for Johnnie Cochran and now owns his own firm in Hollywood.[5] Hunter has two younger siblings: a sister, Libriti, and a brother, Ethan. Libriti was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of five, and went into remission four years later.[1]
In addition to baseball, Greene paints and plays the violin.[19]
References
- ^ a b c Jenkins, Lee (April 24, 2017). "Hunter Greene is the star baseball needs. First he has to finish high school". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
- ^ Fordin, Spencer (September 16, 2015). "Compton UYA set Greene on the right path". MLB.com. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
- ^ Sondheimer, Eric (May 3, 2015). "Baseball: The Hunter Greene factor". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
- ^ a b Sheldon, Mark (June 12, 2017). "Reds select Hunter Greene No. 2 in 2017 Draft". MLB.com. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
- ^ a b Lee, Joon. "Hunter Greene Is Not the LeBron of Baseball. He Wants to Be Something More". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
- ^ Sondheimer, Eric (February 20, 2017). "Notre Dame pitcher and slugger Hunter Greene is a teenage star in the making". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ Axisa, Mike. "Hunter Greene, possible No. 1 pick in 2017 MLB draft, hits 100 mph in latest outing". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
- ^ "13 times Sports Illustrated proclaimed a high school athlete the next big thing". Sports Illustrated. April 25, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
- ^ Sondheimer, Eric (January 31, 2014). "Baseball: Sherman Oaks Notre Dame freshman Hunter Greene commits to UCLA". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
- ^ Sondheimer, Eric (February 19, 2017). "Hunter Greene is player to watch". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ Sondheimer, Eric (April 18, 2017). "Hunter Greene could be done pitching this season". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ "Hunter Greene has reached agreement with Cincinnati Reds for $7.23 million". Los Angeles Times. July 7, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ Buchanan, Zach (July 7, 2017). "Reds sign top pick Hunter Greene". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ a b Thosar, Deesha (April 4, 2018). "2-way play? Not yet for Reds prospect Greene: No. 2 overall pick in 2017 Draft will pitch exclusively for now". MLB.com. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
- ^ "Hunter Greene to represent Cincinnati Reds at All-Star Futures Game". Cincinnati Enquirer. July 2, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ Melnick, Kyle (August 3, 2018). "Reds prospect Hunter Greene has UCL sprain". MLB.com. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ Sprung, Shlomo (April 1, 2019). "Reds' Greene needs Tommy John surgery". MiLB.com. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ Sawyer, Haley (October 4, 2016). "SCV local part of Team USA". Retrieved December 7, 2016.
- ^ "MLB draft will be front-loaded with Los Angeles-area talent". Los Angeles Times. June 9, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Hunter Greene at MaxPreps
- H U N T E R G R E E N E on Instagram
- Hunter Greene on Twitter