GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Reds starting pitcher prospect Hunter Greene kept busy much of the winter by soaking up as much information as possible from veteran Major League players.  

Greene, who is ranked by MLB Pipeline as Cincinnati’s No. 1 prospect (No. 26 overall), spent time with Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman. Someone he also reached out to was then-teammate Sonny Gray -- a pitcher Greene might wind up replacing in the Reds’ rotation. Gray was traded to the Twins on Sunday. 

“I was just with Sonny, it’s ironic for that spot to open up with him,” Greene said. “I was talking to him for a week in Nashville trying to learn as much as I could. It was one of the most productive trips I’ve ever done when it comes to working with big league guys. Obviously, he’s an amazing dude. And it’s funny to see this happen and that switch. He’ll do his thing in Minnesota.” 

Greene, 22, called Gray and asked if he could visit him in Nashville.  

“We got to know each other in camp last year. I said, 'I really respect you and want to be a fly on the wall,'” Greene said. “I threw a bullpen, we talked a lot about that and his thought process on everything, his preparation [and] the mindset he taps into when he walks across those lines. Everything.”

Added to the 40-man roster in November, this is Greene’s first big league camp. Going in, there was one rotation spot open with Wade Miley’s departure. Without Gray, there are now two vacancies behind Luis Castillo, Tyler Mahle and Vladimir Gutierrez.  

“That’s been my whole focus,” Greene said. “Working on my pitches, my thought process, my philosophy. Reading hitters, all that stuff. I worked with some amazing dudes, guys who have been successful in the game. [I've] been able to pick their brains a lot. There’s so many things I’m focusing on, but the main thing is competing.” 

The No. 2 overall selection in the 2017 MLB Draft, Greene missed 2 1/2 seasons from 2018-20 because of Tommy John surgery and later, the COVID-19 pandemic. The recently concluded lockout delayed Spring Training and his ability to start competing sooner.  

“It’s just building character,” Greene added. “I’ll be dealing with obstacles for the rest of my career and life, so this is not going to be the last time I deal with something. Looking at it through that lens. I was trying to work on what I could control, control the controllable.” 

In his first full season of baseball in over two years, Greene was 10-8 with a 3.30 ERA in a combined 21 starts and 106 1/3 innings with Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville during the 2021 season. 

Beginning at Chattanooga, Greene was 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 60 strikeouts in 41 innings over seven starts. For Louisville, he was 5-8 with a 4.13 ERA, 1.29 WHIP in 14 starts while working 65 1/3 innings.

“When a young player is developing like that and they’re as talented as Hunter, you just really look for progress because at any point, it can just take off,” manager David Bell said. “I think that’s what last year was -- progress. The kind of progress you would want to see from him. Because of that, it puts him in a position that he’s right there.” 

The biggest thing Greene learned last season was developing a routine from pitching every fifth day. 

“Everything starts with that, even the day to day of waking up and when to leave my hotel room or wherever I’m staying,” Greene said. “To get a full season under my belt was an adjustment. Coming out of high school I hadn’t thrown many innings. To experience that on my body and on my mind, it puts me in a better place with what to expect in the future.” 

Greene will be competing with multiple young pitchers for a rotation spot -- including No. 2-ranked prospect Nick Lodolo, No. 4-ranked prospect Brandon Williamson and No. 8-ranked prospect Graham Ashcraft along with lefty Reiver Sanmartin and righties Tony Santillan and Riley O’Brien among others.  

It’s a battle Greene felt that he’s primed himself well for. 

“My preparation in the gym has helped, specifically the [exercises] I do translating on the field. A lot of rotational work, hip disassociation, that comes with pitching as well. That’s helped,” Greene explained. “My changeup -- I’ve been really, really focusing on my changeup -- having that third pitch ready to go. Those have been my two main focuses, making sure I have that endurance to go through a full season again.”