10 things to know about Riley Greene
Florida prep outfielder is Tigers' top Draft pick
David Adler
@_dadlerThe Tigers selected Florida high school outfielder Riley Greene with the fifth overall pick in the MLB Draft on Monday. Here are 10 things to know about Greene, MLB Pipeline's No. 6 overall Draft prospect.
? Greene is the top high school outfielder in this year's Draft, a 6-foot-1, 191-pound left-handed hitter and thrower who might be the best pure high school hitter in his class. The 18-year-old Florida commit has a smooth swing with a line-drive approach and power potential. Defensively, he profiles best as a corner outfielder at the next level.
? As a senior at Hagerty High School, Greene hit .422/.554/.916 with eight home runs, 11 doubles, three triples, 27 RBIs and 38 runs scored.
"You¡¯re out on the same field every day, and you¡¯re grinding and grinding," Greene said in an interview with Spectrum News in March. "You¡¯re with the team every single day. Winning with them and being able to go to states with them is awesome."
? Among Greene's season highlights: hitting for the cycle in a game in April.
• Hagerty is the same high school that Phillies starting pitcher Zach Eflin attended. The 25-year-old right-hander was a first-round Draft pick out of Hagerty in 2012, taken 33rd overall by the Padres. Greene will likely go much higher.
? Greene starred for the USA Baseball 18U National Team that won gold at the 2018 Pan-American Championships last fall, playing alongside fellow top high school Draft prospects like Bobby Witt Jr. -- the two of them even hit back-to-back homers in one of the games.
? In nine games for Team USA, Greene hit .424/.548/.848, tied for the team high with three home runs and had a team-high 20 RBIs.
? Greene played in the 2018 Under Armour All-America Game last July at Wrigley Field. He went 2-for-3 with a home run off Brennan Malone -- this year's No. 20 Draft prospect.
"Being able to hit that home run in the first inning was awesome," Greene said after the game. "I don't really think about it. I just go out and I just hit. I usually try to find the gaps or put balls over the shortstop's head. I just got the right pitch."
? A few weeks later, he played in the Perfect Game All-American Classic at Petco Park and ripped an RBI double.
? Greene was named the 2019 Gatorade Florida Baseball Player of the Year and a finalist for the National Player of the Year along with Witt (No. 2 Draft prospect) and Corbin Carroll (No. 15 Draft prospect).
? Greene joins an impressive list of recent Gatorade Florida Baseball Players of the Year. The last few honorees:
2018: Carter Stewart -- the eighth overall pick last year by the Braves, who didn't sign but is now heading to Japan to play for Nippon Professional Baseball's Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
2017: Logan Allen -- the Padres' No. 6 prospect, MLB's No. 8 left-handed pitching prospect and No. 68 overall.
2016: Bo Bichette -- Dante Bichette's son, the Blue Jays' No. 2 prospect behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He's MLB's No. 11 prospect overall and the No. 4 shortstop prospect.
2015: Kyle Tucker -- the fifth overall pick by the Astros in 2015, now their No. 2 prospect, MLB's No. 3 outfield prospect and No. 13 overall.
2014: Nick Gordon -- Dee Gordon's brother, the fifth overall pick by the Twins in 2014 and Minnesota's No. 10 prospect.