'If I can do this, so can you': Greene inspiring hope as DREAM Series mentor

CINCINNATI -- When Hunter Greene gets involved in a cause or program he is passionate about, the Reds starting pitcher goes all in. No half-steps. No just showing up, getting it over with and moving on.

Look no further than Greene's involvement with MLB's DREAM Series, a developmental program predominantly for Black and Latino players that focuses on diversity and increasing the ranks of people of color in the game. It began in 2017, and Greene was a participant in the inaugural year.

“You’ll never have that much experience and knowledge of the game at one time, anywhere," Greene said. "That’s unbelievable in itself to have that mentorship at your disposal every day that you’re there.”

Greene was selected second overall in the 2017 MLB Draft, debuted in the Major Leagues in ‘22 and became a first-time All-Star this season. He has also morphed from DREAM Series participant to mentor.

Each year, about 80 teenagers from around the nation participate in the program, held in January during Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. They play before pro and college talent evaluators and receive instruction from current and former players. The event is largely geared toward the development of pitchers and catchers.

For the past two years, the 25-year-old Greene not only has worked at the DREAM Series with other current and former Major Leaguers -- like Reds teammate Will Benson, plus Jerry Manuel, Jo Adell, Josiah Gray, LaTroy Hawkins, Marvin Freeman, Harold Reynolds and Marquis Grissom -- he has also invited and hosted participants and staff back at his Mesa, Ariz., home.

"Being a product of the event and understanding just the magnitude of my platform, I have an opportunity to host these kids and connect with these kids on a totally different level," Greene said. "This is something I am passionate about and that I want to have happen for a long time -- at least another five to 10 years.”

Greene, who signed a six-year, $53 million contract in April 2023, took his hosting duties to another level.

Not only did Greene provide each kid with Nike cleats fitted to their sizes, he had a barber on hand to give haircuts and a taco truck parked in the backyard serving dinner. They could also take turns playing "MLB: The Show" on a TV in his living room. Greene additionally helmed panel discussions with the group that offered insights about how to prepare, avoid complacency and more.

• MLB star and DREAM Series alum hosts prospects at his home

Keep in mind that Greene has been doing this while in his early-to-mid 20s, an age where most people are still trying to figure out how to live their own lives.

“It was amazing to see," said former Angels catcher Darrell Miller, who is now MLB's vice president of youth and facility development. "He was very kind and wanted to give back. He made sure that all the other people trying to do what he’s doing at the higher level have the ability to spend some time with him.

"He also inspired that [feeling of], ‘If I can do this, so can you.’ It’s tremendous to see hope doled out in large amounts. People start to go, ‘I can do what he did.’ He’s involved in this series because he wanted to inspire other people to be the best they can be.”

Miller, who was a catcher in the 1980s, runs all of MLB's urban youth academies. That includes the first one in Compton, Calif., where he first encountered a seven-year-old Greene as one of its participants. Greene came with his parents to the academy most weekends to play.

It is rare, Miller noted, to see someone as young as Greene who wants to be as helpful and considerate while giving back.

“At a very early age, he had a high IQ -- both in baseball and as a human being. You could tell he was plugged in. He was really aware, and he just had a really good heart," Miller said. “There are very few you see in life that are very kind and competitive with everything. He’s got it all wrapped up. He’s got a good family. They’re just really good people, and he’s a really good person. A guy like that is not on every street corner.”

Greene is already making plans to host DREAM Series participants and coaches back at his house in 2025. He is working with a friend and photographer, Oscar Castillo -- the owner of a sneaker and fashion company called Modern Notoriety -- to provide participants with apparel.

“There might be a component of merchandise with really, really cool designs," Greene said.

But more important than kids getting cool stuff or visiting a big league player's house -- or even becoming a big league player themselves -- Greene is hoping his efforts strengthen a community that wants to inspire future generations to pay it forward.

“It’s the fraternity of people that’s built. Collectively, there’s about 130 people at my house, all together, when I host," Greene said. "They get to know that they’re part of something bigger than themselves. They have a circle of friendship and trust that they can lean on -- whether it’s in baseball or outside of baseball and in life.”