This Reds flamethrower is gearing up for '23

This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon's Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CINCINNATI -- A highly anticipated prospect since he was the second overall pick in the 2017 Draft, Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene arrived in the big leagues in 2022 and showed what the hype was about.

Greene, 23, routinely touched 101-102 mph with his fastball and developed his slider and changeup. It wasn’t all smooth throughout his 24 starts, and the right-hander finished 5-13 with a 4.44 ERA and a team-leading 164 strikeouts in 125 2/3 innings.

There were also 24 home runs allowed, including 23 before the All-Star break. But after working on sharpening his fastball location, Greene had a 0.78 ERA with 37 strikeouts over his final four starts -- after returning from a right shoulder strain.

During Redsfest on Dec. 2, I spoke with Greene about his offseason.

MLB.com: After throwing the most innings in a season of your pro career, did it feel different after the season ended to shut everything down for the offseason? How have you recovered?

Greene: Yeah. I’m ready to go. I actually started to play catch today. I have a really good program in place and feel great. That’s always a nice feeling coming out of a season and being able to get into your training. You’re feeling like you’re ready to go and really conquer the world.

MLB.com: With no injuries to rehab from, what’s it like to have a normal offseason?

Greene: It’s a great feeling to be able to put all of your focus and attention into the betterment of your game, and being able to level up is a great feeling. You don’t feel like you have obstacles to overcome just to get to a healthy part of your career. There’s a lot to work on and a lot to build off of.

MLB.com: What are you working on between now and February?

Greene: I just started throwing, but obviously I want the consistency to my mechanics and making sure I feel good going into my bullpens and that all my pitches are working, and all that good stuff. I want to be well-rounded coming into Spring Training and healthy.