Q&A with Tigers prospect Riley Greene
This browser does not support the video element.
LAKELAND, Fla. -- The consensus best high school hitter in the 2019 Draft, Riley Greene went fifth overall to the Tigers and signed for $6,180,700, a franchise record for a position player. He homered twice in his first pro game and finished his summer as an 18-year-old in low Class A, batting .271/.347/.403 between three levels. The Tigers' No. 3 prospect has been the talk of Detroit's big league camp this spring after homering in his first two official at-bats and demonstrating an advanced approach at the plate.
MLB.com: You're a young guy, here for minicamp, you get a chance to play a little bit in the big league games. Did you expect to have this kind of success in big league camp? What has this spring been like for you?
Greene: It's been a lot of fun. We got here early and we're just going out every day and grinding. The Minor League side is fun and the Major League side, so we're just going out and having fun.
MLB.com: What was the feeling like when you hit a home run in your first official Spring Training at-bat, and then coming back and hitting another one a couple of days later?
Greene: It was pretty cool. You take it day by day usually, and that day I hit the home run. I got two walks, so I got to see the ball a little bit. It was awesome. Then the next day I came, I hit another home run too. That was even cooler. I got to hit in front of the fans so that was pretty cool.
MLB.com: You're a Florida guy, so has your family been able to come see you? Has that made it a little bit extra special?
Greene: My parents, my grandparents, my sister all have been able to come down.
MLB.com: Going into last year's Draft, did you have a sense that the Tigers might select you before it happened?
Greene: It was kind of just going and hoping I get picked the highest I possibly can. I didn't know that the Tigers were going to pick me, but I'm grateful that they did. It's a great organization, great players, great coaches, so I'm very fortunate.
• Here are the Tigers' 2020 Top 30 prospects
MLB.com: You pretty much hit the ground running in pro ball from the start. How much do you think your amateur background helped you, particularly your success with Team USA and facing quality competition on the showcase circuit? Did you feel like you were fairly well prepared?
Greene: Oh yeah. Going to all those showcases and stuff, we're seeing 95-100 mph arms the whole entire time, so it's not like it was a big difference. I think it got me ready to go here and I'm very fortunate I got to do all of those things.
This browser does not support the video element.
MLB.com: You got to play at three different levels in your first pro season, started in the Gulf Coast League, went to short-season ball, went to low Class A. How much of a difference in pitching did you notice as you went up each level?
Greene: Once I went to [short-season] Connecticut, it was a little better, there were more strikes being thrown, which I think helped me just because when pitchers are around the zone, I swing it more and my confidence goes up. Once I went to low A, it just got better, the speed got harder, pitchers could place the ball where they wanted sometimes.
MLB.com: After that first experience in pro ball, were there particular adjustments that you wanted to make or felt like you had to make? Have you had to make adjustments at this point yet?
Greene: Kind of. Timing-wise, I need to start a little earlier just because my hands need to get back to a certain spot. That's really it.
MLB.com: What did you do this offseason to prepare for this season?
Greene: Working out a lot, trying to get faster. I gained about 15 pounds. I was 195 and now I'm 208, 210, so I gained a little bit of weight. I worked on my timing a lot, just getting my hands in the right slot.
MLB.com: If you were a scout, how would you break down your game? Everyone focuses on the hitting, you had a reputation as the best all-around hitter on the high school side in last year's Draft. Do you feel like your speed and defense get taken for granted a little bit?
Greene: Yes, I feel like it does. I played a pretty good center field last season, I made some pretty good catches, I ran some balls down. I thought it went well, but hitting's kind of my game so it's going to be looked at more.
MLB.com: Do you see yourself as more of a hitter for average than power, or more power than average, or kind of a combination of both?
Greene: I think average mostly. I'll get into some balls occasionally but I think mostly average.
This browser does not support the video element.
MLB.com: Have you set any goals where you want to be this season or at the end of the season? Has what you've done this spring changed that at all?
Greene: My goal is just to take it day by day. I can't really control where I go or what happens being moved up, so I just take it day by day and let people make the decisions on whether to move me up or not.
MLB.com: How does it feel to be part of an organization that's in a rebuilding mode? They have the No. 1 pick again this year, which means they had the worst record in the big leagues last year, but you look around and there are a lot of pretty good prospects around here. Especially on the pitching side, they have a lot of guys who are getting close. Have you taken note of the Casey Mizes and the Matt Mannings and the Tarik Skubals and all those guys?
Greene: I always tell people our Minor League system, I feel like, is really, really good. There were some players drafted in my year who are really, really good, and they're great people too. And they're fun to be around, really good guys. I'm excited for the future.
MLB.com: How much have your found yourself getting noticed here around Tigertown, especially with the way you've played this spring? Are you getting fans coming up to you a lot?
Greene: I try not to get out when there's games. I try to just stay in my room and just relax, take some naps. But I'm getting noticed more and more every single day.
MLB.com: I would assume you've been getting a lot of media attention too with your spring. What's that been like?
Greene: It's cool. But most people get caught up in all that and I'm not that type of guy to get caught up in the media. So I just kind of brush it away and focus on playing baseball.
MLB.com: What do you think you need to improve on the most? What are you looking to improve on this year?
Greene: My speed and my bat a little more. You can always get better at hitting and speed and throwing and everything. I'm going to work on my hitting a lot this year and hopefully get it to where I want it to be.