DETROIT -- The first question posed to Riley Greene at his introductory press conference was whether he still wanted to play center field after looking out at the vast territory of Comerica Park. He smiled and said yes.

“Just seeing the stadium, walking on the concourse and everything, it’s just amazing,” the Tigers’ first-round Draft pick said. “I’m very excited to get started.”

A couple hours later, with half the Tigers' roster and front office watching, he got started on making the ballpark look small.

“To me, [batting practice] is one of my favorite things to do, like, ever,” Greene cautioned.

After a few nervous swings to settle in, Greene hit his first ball out, his sweet left-handed swing sending a ball over the tunnel beyond the right-field corner.

A few swings later, Greene drove a ball toward the right-field power alley and well into the seats. Players took notice, from Nicholas Castellanos at the backstop and Niko Goodrum and Gordon Beckham in foul territory to Miguel Cabrera in the Tigers' dugout.

The gathering went silent for a second on Greene’s next swing, a towering drive that hit the Pepsi Porch atop right field. It looked like a throwback to Bobby Abreu’s Home Run Derby here in 2005, when Greene was four years old.

“Leave him here,” Cabrera called out.

This is the power the Tigers saw from Greene when he worked out for club officials last week in Lakeland, Fla. One of his drives at Joker Marchant Stadium reportedly hit the facing of the Tigers' administration building beyond right field.

It was batting practice off Tigers bench coach Steve Liddle. But for a young man just a few weeks out of high school, having just come to terms with where he is, it was impressive.

“The night of the Draft was amazing,” said Greene, who went to the Tigers with the fifth overall pick Monday evening, and officially signed on Wednesday. “I was with a lot of my family and friends, and being able to spend that night with them was amazing. I think when I got home around 11:30, I was like, ‘Dang, I’m a professional baseball player.’ It just didn’t really hit me while I was there at the party. When I got that feeling, I was very excited to get started.”

Hall of Famer Al Kaline watched Greene’s batting practice from behind the cage. What impressed him was that Greene went through the trouble of picking up some of the balls he hit.

“I’m sure he was a little nervous,” Kaline said. “But he handled it great. Very impressive.”

When Greene was done, he and Cabrera met in the dugout. Greene also met with manager Ron Gardenhire in his office.

“He just came in and had a little conversation,” Gardenhire said. “I tried to get him not to leave and just stay here. He took off anyway.”

Greene has places to go. His pro career begins Monday in Lakeland, when he reports to Tigertown to join the rookie-level Gulf Coast League. He’ll move into the dorms there and begin the climb up the organizational ladder.

The glamour of Friday will be replaced by the grind of the low Minors. As other top picks can attest, it’s an adjustment, especially for a teenager dealing with sudden fame and fortune. Add in the inevitable struggles, a feeling first-round picks rarely feel in high school, and the challenge multiplies.

Castellanos never got batting practice at Comerica Park, having signed in August just before the deadline. He doesn’t know how he would’ve handled all that attention. But as the Tigers’ first-round pick in 2010, he had seven games in the Gulf Coast League -- he still remembers staying in Room 216 at Fetzer Hall -- then a full 2011 season at Class A West Michigan.

“First, you have to come to terms with [the fact that] you’re a millionaire now,” Castellanos said. “There could be a little of, 'Now I have to be like this, because these people that have this are like this.’ And you can just multiply that to the nth degree in any aspect of off-field life, on-field life, as a competitor, as a teammate, as a normal person. That’s the biggest challenge, and you have to do all that with cameras in your face.”

That said, Castellanos added, “It’s a lot of fun. It stinks sometimes, but some of my favorite memories are going through the grind in the Minor Leagues and the journey to get to here. And then once you get here, it’s a whole different monster.”

Kaline had a different journey, having signed with the Tigers before MLB had a Draft. As a bonus signing, he had to spend his first pro year in the Majors, an 18-year-old on a 1953 Tigers team with an average age of 28. He remembers a veteran player grabbing him and telling him he took his best friend’s job.

“They wanted to get rid of me,” Kaline said. “Fortunately I had a lot of energy, and I wasn’t playing, so I threw batting practice a lot, and they started to like me. The worst part about it was that after they hit, I had to pick up all the balls.”

Both believe Greene can handle his next challenge, as do Tigers scouts who have tracked him the last few years. Castellanos believes his strong family support will be a big factor. Kaline sees a maturity in him.

“This kid is going to be something special,” Kaline said.

Greene, for his part, can’t wait to find out.

“When I get home, I’ll get all packed up and get ready to go,” he said. “I’m very excited to start pro ball. It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was four or five, and I’m very excited to get started.”