Article: Greene Impresses Twins Brass

[Jeremy Nygaard]

Friday night didn't only signify the first time a Twins club started a season 4-0 since 1987. It also signified the first time CBO Derek Falvey got to see high school prep pitching phenom Hunter Greene in person.

 

Falvey was one of five people representing the Twins organization, which also included scouting director Sean Johnson.According to various reports, Greene sat at 98-99 with his fastball. Some radar guns even flashed triple digits. Throughout his 91-pitch, 13-strikeout, complete-game outing, his fastball never dipped below 95. Greene also flashed a devastating slider.

 

You can see Green throw one pitch, with the Twins crew in the background below:

 

 

Greene has become the darling of the draft. He's helped the poor by doing a sock drive, collecting socks in exchange for autographed cards. (And I missed the deadline... but he still sent the cards.) He's gone through hard family times as his younger sister dealt with leukemia. He's shown his personality through his social media.

 

On the field, he's proven to be, perhaps, the most unique prep right-handed pitcher in recent memory (or ever?) and strives to make history as the first ever high school right handed pitcher to go first overall. He's also a pretty darned good shortstop.

 

In a draft that doesn't include any top notch college stars, Greene continues to shine brightly and is becoming a cult hero in Twins Territory.

 

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[Carneal&Gordon]

What do we make of Keith Law guessing that Twins will go college route instead of Greene? Doogie made mention that he thinks he knows Law's source but did not go into further details.

 

Any inside info Jeremy?

[jimbo92107]

This kid sounds great. Great is good enough for me. 

[HitInAPinch]

Kinda hard for me to really judge Greene.  The video posted here, it looks like he's over throwing a lot and losing his balance.  I've also watched others where Greene looks like his delivery is really under control:  same windup, rotation, arm slot and landing point. 

 

Guess that means he's 17  ;-)

[tobi0040]

He will look good in a Twins uni

[goulik]

Pitches every fifth day, plays short the other four, doesn't need a DH, hey, Can he Manage too?

[mikelink45]

I believe the Yankees had a can't miss first round pitcher a few years ago that was a sure star - Brien Taylor http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=taylor002bri that does not mean we should not draft a high profile high school kid, but as good as he is, prospects really are challenged to get to the MLB clubs, unlike the other sports.  It might be the minor league challenge that keeps some of our better athletes from going the baseball route.  

I hope the Twins get a great prospect and that we do not have the opportunity to draft this high again for the next decade or two.

[Darius]

The hysteria over high schools pitchers is nonsense (weren't all pitchers high school pitchers at one point?). I'd want him if he were only a pitcher, but it's even more nonsensical when considering this guy has great upside at SS/at the plate as well.

 

This team has had two huge problems for a while now: Starting pitching and shortstop. You have a shot at a guy who has elite upside at both.

 

You also have consider the kids makeup, which appears to be top notch. The kid has shown the ability to excel under adversity, has an elite work ethic by all accounts, and is s great leader in the community.

 

I just don't know how you possibly justify taking someone else. Especially the college outfielder, who I've also been hearing a lot about. I know you never draft based upon need, but when you have an OF full of 23 year olds, taking another 22 year old OF at #1 overall doesn't make much sense to me.

[Comrade Bork]

Yeah.. But we'll still have a hole a SS every fifth game while our Cy young pitcher takes the mound. I wonder if Greene would mind being backed up at short by DSan!

[Oldgoat_MN]

I think it remains to be seen if there are any top notch college stars. True, there is no sure thing Scherzer or Sale in the group, but they weren't sure things either.

 

Greene might be the guy, but it's difficult to rate his secondary pitches when he almost never needs them in HS.

I read some accounts saying Kohl Stewart had the highest upside in the entire 2013 draft. I'm not blasting Stewart here, just reminding that all High School pitchers are a huge gamble.

 

I absolutely agree with Darius. No #1/#1 outfielder, especially one prone to strike out at the rate Kendall does.

[TNTwinsFan]

Draft him as a SS and see what happens in 3 years...if he can't cut it (hit and/or glove) move him to the bump for the next few years and develop him as a pitcher...he would still be onky 23 after 6 years of development (3 at SS, 3 at P).

[Tibs]

 

Draft him as a SS and see what happens in 3 years...if he can't cut it (hit and/or glove) move him to the bump for the next few years and develop him as a pitcher...he would still be onky 23 after 6 years of development (3 at SS, 3 at P).

No way. If Greene is considered for the #1 pick as a pitcher right now, then it's not ridiculous to think it's possible for him to be in the high minors or even the majors after three years. Yes that would be quite aggressive and everything would have to go right, but we have seen plenty of young pitchers debut around 21 recently. No way you waste three years if he genuinely has ace upside.

[nytwinsfan]

Is it really a slider? I've heard in other places it is a curveball. What gives?  Does he have both?

 

see, e.g., http://www.minorleagueball.com/2017/3/1/14766552/2017-mlb-draft-profile-hunter-greene-rhp-sherman-oaks-california

[Dave The Dastardly]

18? The "kid" looks to be closer to 30. You sure he didn't sneak over here from Cuba? You know, the country that can't keep track of birthdates?

[mudcat14]

I think the Twins can't ignore this kid's upside with this pick.  I realize they have two additional 'high' picks in this draft, but I hope they don't attempt to save some of their pool money for those picks at the expense of picking Greene.  I've only seen limited video of him, but I can't help but have visions of a young Doc Gooden with a TC on his cap.

[alskntwnsfn]

18? The "kid" looks to be closer to 30. You sure he didn't sneak over here from Cuba? You know, the country that can't keep track of birthdates?

This comment reminds me of when everyone always gushed about the numbers Delmon Young put up, for his age, in the minors. Yes, he may have been 20 or 21 when putting up monster numbers, but for his body, he was probably closer to 25. Most players reach their physical peak around 27, but it's clear Delmon's physical peak was probably 4 or 5 years early.

 

That's not to say Greene will be like Young in any regard, but yeah he's developmentally advanced for his age. We wouldn't be talking about him if he wasn't.

[tobi0040]

No such thing as a can't miss prospect. I get it. But it looks near universal that this kid is the top prospect and we have the first Pick.

 

So you take him.

[tobi0040]

I really don't like the Delmon Young comps. He had a terrible attitude. He didn't listen to coaches and he didn't keep himself in good condition.

 

That is a makeup issue moreso than a talent/tools issue. That is part of the homework you have to do.

[mlhouse]

When I watch him I see Dwight Gooden.

[Thrylos]

 

I can't help but have visions of a young Doc Gooden with a TC on his cap.

 

Do you remember Gooden's curveball?  This kid does not have that.

 

[Winston Smith]

 

Yeah.. But we'll still have a hole a SS every fifth game while our Cy young pitcher takes the mound. I wonder if Greene would mind being backed up at short by DSan!

He might prefer to throw the pitch and run over to cover the ss spot himself rather than have dansan out there.

[70charger]

He might prefer to throw the pitch and run over to cover the ss spot himself rather than have dansan out there.

I would buy a ticket to that game.

[DocBauer]

Maybe it's the angle, but that pitch almost looks like a power curve. Nasty whatever it Was! He can throw that consistently with his FB I'm all in. I know he's only 18 and in high school still, but I want to know he can repeat that over and over before I draft him #1. But he is interesting and tantalizing no doubt.

 

What I struggle with is need vs potential vs safety. Whether you have a 1st round pick or THE 1st pick, you'd like to feel you made a "safe" choice in regard to potential to make the majors as a quality player. But at the end of the day, the ML draft remains the biggest crapshoot in all professional sports. Risk or not, don't you almost HAVE to draft Greene just based on so much upside?

[Joe A. Preusser]

I like that: Need vs Potential vs Safety. Wherever those graphs intersect is your pick.

 

Hard not to go Green with the Potential and Need pieces so high. Whichever alternative we might choose better be off the charts in the Safety catagory; ie sure thing.

[DJSim22]

 

18? The "kid" looks to be closer to 30. You sure he didn't sneak over here from Cuba? You know, the country that can't keep track of birthdates?

 

I'd go with Haiti, tons of people don't have them there. 

[Dr. Evil]

I see a kid that became physically mature sooner than other kids his age. So, he is essentially at an advantage vs his current competition. That makes me skeptical. In the picture he looks like a 20 year old throwing to a 12 year old.

 

[nytwinsfan]

 

I see a kid that became physically mature sooner than other kids his age. So, he is essentially at an advantage vs his current competition. That makes me skeptical. In the picture he looks like a 20 year old throwing to a 12 year old.

By "skeptical" do you mean you think he/his parents are lying about his age ?!?!?!  I really hope not.

 

Or (I hope) do you you mean that you are skeptical that he is being overhyped just because he matured early, and others will catch up to him, relatively speaking? If the latter, I'd just point out a couple of things: (1) he still throws the ball 98mph with ease in his 5th or 6th inning of pitching, which nobody but maybe a handful of 24 to 29 year old major league pitchers in their prime can do, and (2) IF YOU ARE RIGHT, that means he's ahead of his age cohort in terms of maturity and getting used to his adult body, making him more likely to make it to the majors quicker than a normal high schooler, which is all the more reason for the Twins to take him given their window of contention with many of their young players may start to close after 2021. 

Edited April 9, 2017 by nytwinsfan

[goulik]

Safety: he doesn't pan out as a pitcher so you slide him over to short stop.

[Tweety]

It seems like he may well be the right choice, but it makes me nervous, because TINSTAAPP.

[GCTF]

A pitcher that wears a single digit number? Pass.