DETROIT TIGERS TOP 10 PROSPECTS
1. RILEY GREENE, OF
AGE: 21. B-T: L-L. HT: 6-3. WT: 200. DRAFTED: HS—Oviedo, Fla., 2019 (1st round). SIGNED BY: RJ Burgess.
TRACK RECORD: Greene has yet to lose any momentum since being selected fifth overall in 2019. He signed for $6.18 million and hit the ground running in 2019, ascending three levels and hitting a combined .271/.347/.403 as he rose to Low-A West Michigan. Following the canceled 2020 minor league season, the Tigers challenged Greene once again in 2021 with an assignment to Double-A Erie. Once again, Greene excelled, hitting .298/.381/.525 and joining Spencer Torkelson as the Tigers’ representatives at the Futures Game in Denver. The Tigers tested Greene again in August with a promotion to Triple-A Toledo, where Greene exceeded expectations both offensively and defensively. Over 40 games with the Mud Hens, Greene slashed .308/.400/.553 with a .954 OPS and eight home runs to bring his single-season total to 29 homers. Concussion-like symptoms kept Greene from participating in the Arizona Fall League as planned. He cleared concussion protocol shortly after and began his offseason routine in preparation for the 2022 season.
Greene has drawn plaudits for his elite feel and instincts as a hitter since he was a high school underclassman. Mixing exceptional talent with a mature approach and a high IQ, Greene possesses elite bat speed with fluid, balanced stroke and does damage with a deceptive level of raw, projectable power. He has displayed advanced plate discipline and barrel control and every level he’s been assigned to and, in scouts’ words, never seems to run out
