Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

The Minnesota Twins had a difficult decision to make. After they made their choice, they made the Cincinnati Reds’ choice really easy.
The Twins had the first pick in the Major League Baseball draft on Monday and were torn between several players worthy of the No. 1 selection.
They went with California high school Royce Lewis, speedy and slick-fielding shortstop.
That’s all the Reds needed as they used the No. 2 pick to draft the player they wanted from the start and picked another California prep star who was also a shortstop.
However, he was also a pitcher and that was the position announced as they selected Hunter Greene from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks.
Greene has been clocks at 100 miles an hour and the 17-year-old prospect was featured on the cover of a recent Sports Illustrated issue.
The Reds did their homework on Greene, meeting him on several occasions to have dinner and learn what makes him tick. The entire scouting process made the Reds certain Greene was the right choice.
“We do not see prospects like this very often,” said Dick Williams, the Reds’ president of baseball operations and general manager who met with Greene along with senior director of amateur scouting Chris Buckley.
“The physical talent is special, but he also exhibits great intangibles. We enjoyed getting to know Hunter and his family during the process. His parents should be very proud of the job they have done. We are excited for the opportunity to bring him into our organization.”
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Greene hit .324 with six home runs, 28 runs batted in, six doubles, two triples, 23 runs scored, a .374 on-base percentage and a .588 slugging percentage.
But as a pitcher, Greene’s career numbers included a 1.62 earned run average over 121.1 innings and struck out 30 percent of the batters he faced. This past season he was 3-0 with an 0.75 ERA over five appearances with 43 strikeouts and just four walks over 28 innings.
This past season he was ranked the No. 1 draft prospect by both MLB.com’s Top 200 Prospects and Baseball America’s Top 200 MLB Draft Prospects.
Greene knows he was drafted as a pitcher but he said the door is still open to both positions.
“Being in this position, being a pitcher or a shortstop, whatever they want me to do, I’m excited to do both. We haven’t talked about it, but pitching would be amazing. That’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” said Greene.
“There have been discussions before about it, but it was always we’d love for you to do both. Whatever that is we still haven’t talked about it, but I’m just excited to be with this ball club and whatever they have in mind for me I’m excited.
Greene understands that being a two-way player at the professional level — especially in the major leagues — would be a difficult task even for the best players.
“It would be difficult. I mean, 162 games, that’s a lot of games to stay healthy and succeed in both, but it’s something we can work on and get the ball rolling on ,” said Greene.
“It’s something I’ve worked on, to see success with both with the glove and on the mound and with the bat. I started out as a shortstop. A couple of coaches and my dad saw I had a really strong arm and put me on the mound and the mechanics just naturally happened. I wasn’t a thrower. I was a pitcher. I think that’s really special. To be a pitcher and be able to hit spots and know how to pitch against batters.”
Greene said he began his career at the age of seven as a shortstop but added pitching in later years when his coaches — including his father — noticed he had a really strong arm.
The top draft pick said he began to think about baseball as a career by the time he reached high school.
“After my freshman (year) and beginning of my sophomore year where my numbers increased and a couple of scouts started coming to other guys’ games who were going into the 2016 draft and they were shaking my hand after the games and saying ‘you’re a special young man and a special ballplayer and that you could have a future in this,’ “ said Greene.
“I was just watching the draft last year in the living room and watching the other guys on my USA team go through the same process. Now that I’m here and I’m drafted it’s crazy. I’m excited for my family and truly blessed and glad to be here.”
Being the Reds’ top pick and second overall has the organization and fans excited, but Greene said he plans to take it all in stride.
“I don’t think there’s any pressure. It’ll work out how God wants it to work out. I’m going to get there. I’m just going to enjoy my whole experience with the ball club and get acclimated with everybody,” said Greene.
When asked to give a scouting report on himself, Greene laughed and said, ““Man, I’m a monster. I’m different on the field than I am off the field. I’m just going to go out and compete and challenge and pound the zone and go after guys like I know I can.”
Buckley did the majority of the scouting and pre-draft work. He said Greene was at the top of their draft list.
“Hunter is an extremely athletic and very talented high school prospect who has been on the scene for many years,” said Buckley. “He is a two-way prospect who has shown an advanced feel for pitching, significant raw power with the bat and very good fielding ability.”
Many people in baseball are hoping that Greene will become an inspiration to other African-American boys to look more closely at playing baseball. Greene understands the role he could play.
“It’s a sport that’s — I don’t want to say it has not lost a love from people — but it’s a sport people are kind of shying away from and going to other sports to compete,” said Greene.
“I think — I mean I know it’s the best game in baseball. It’s important that these kids and other guys want to build a passion for the game and enjoy it as much as possible.”
But for Greene, all that is in the future. Right now he just wants to play baseball and he’s more than happy to be in the Reds’ organization.
“This is a great ball club to be a part of the Cincinnati Reds and a great fan base. An historic ballpark and environment in general so it’ll be awesome. It’s going to be fun,” said Greene wearing a Cincinnati jersey and cap.
Greene’s selection at No. 2 overall matches shortstop Kurt Stillwell (1983) and infielder Nick Senzel (2016) as the only other players to be drafted that high by the Reds.
Rounds 3-10 will begin at 1 p.m. Tuesday and rounds 11-40 will start at noon on Wednesday.