Greene gets 2nd Opening Day nod: 'It's a huge honor'
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Hunter Greene will be the Reds¡¯ Opening Day starter.
Anyone surprised? Hands?
¡°His stuff is pretty special,¡± Reds manager Terry Francona said when announcing his rotation plans Friday morning.
¡°It¡¯s 100 [mph]. You don¡¯t see that a lot out of starters. It¡¯s got a chance to be pretty special.¡±
¡°Special¡± is the way Greene looks at the assignment, especially considering the significance, almost reverence, in which Opening Day is held in the birthplace of Major League Baseball.
¡°It¡¯s a huge honor,¡± Greene said.
¡°It¡¯s very special in Cincinnati. It feels like a holiday with so much rich history. I want to be able to provide the highest level of entertainment to the fans but also be able to get away with a win to set the tone and start the year off right.¡±
Greene seemed the logical choice after his stellar 2024, but did not approach Spring Training that way.
¡°My mindset coming into camp was never, ¡®Oh yeah, I¡¯m going to be the Opening Day starter,¡¯" he said. "I came in wanting to be in a really good place and prove to not just myself but the team and to Terry and the decision-makers that I¡¯d be the right choice.¡±
The Reds had planned to announce it earlier in the week, but Greene fell ill and Francona wanted to wait.
¡°We didn¡¯t want to do it without talking to the other guys,¡± Francona said. ¡°That¡¯s a respectful way to do it."
Left-hander Nick Lodolo, right-hander Nick Martinez and right-hander Brady Singer will follow Greene in the rotation to open the season, with the fifth spot to be determined as camp progresses.
It will be Greene¡¯s second Opening Day assignment -- his first came in 2023 -- and it comes after a year in which he channeled his tools and energy to become one of the most efficient and effective starters in the Majors.
Greene was 9-5 with a career-best 2.75 ERA in 2024, when he set career highs in virtually every statistical category despite missing five weeks with right elbow soreness that limited him to three starts in August and two in September.
His ERA dropped by more than two points last season, with peripherals that stunned -- he struck out 169 in 150 1/3 innings while giving up only 96 hits. He has led the Reds in strikeouts in his first three MLB seasons -- one of five starters in the last 40 years to do so, joining Yu Darvish, Tim Lincecum, Brandon Webb and Hideo Nomo.
Greene was the most effective pitcher in the National League by one metric -- his 6.3 WAR was the highest in the league, and tied with AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal for the best in baseball.
Greene got there by coming at hitters hard.
Greene¡¯s fastball has registered 100 mph or faster 472 times in his three MLB seasons, the most by a starting pitcher in the pitch-tracking era. Jacob deGrom is a distant second with 318.
As camp progresses, one goal ¡°is to have my pitches get sharper and sharper,¡± Greene said. ¡°Health, of course. But I feel great. That is not really a focus of mine. I¡¯ve been able to shift my mindset and thoughts into other parts of the game that are very important, just because I am healthy.¡±
Another is to work into the mentality that the regular season requires.
¡°Towards the middle to the end of spring, you really want to be tapping into your competitive mindset, because that¡¯s what you need to go perform at your best," Greene said.
Martinez, who accepted the Reds¡¯ $21.05 million qualifying offer this offseason, also was under consideration for the Opening Day assignment, Francona said.
¡°I talked to him about it, he¡¯s such a pro,¡± Francona said. "¡®Just give me the ball.¡¯ We want to eventually split up our lefties, so we¡¯re just trying to do it right. Knowing that the rotation will change as we go.¡±
Lefty Andrew Abbott made 25 starts with a team-high 10 wins last season, and Lodolo made 21.