View of Detroit TIgers Riley Greene, number 5 in 2019, trains at Comerica Park on Sunday, July 5, 2020.
Detroit Free Press
A year ago, Riley Greene practiced at Comerica Park for the first time.
Greene, who had just signed his rookie contract after the Detroit Tigers voted him number 5 in the 2019 MLB draft, made an early impression. Al Kaline and Miguel Cabrera were among those who impressed him in his punch practice.
On Saturday, Spencer met Torkelson, number 1 of the 2020 Tigers his Debut at Comerica Park in impact training. People noticed it.
But in the middle of Sunday afternoon training, Greene reminded the team of what it also had when he did punching exercises and sprayed baseball with backspin across the field.
He has a gentle swing from the left and showed strength on both fields that day – he hit twice home runs halfway up the seats in the right field.
Perhaps most notable about his session was the type of action his swing exerts on the ball. With a bit of uppercut swing he gets a good carry and his line drives seem to generate a lot of spin.
Greene met in the second group of punch training with Brady Policelli, Dillon Dingler from the second round of 2020 and an unknown player.
[ Top prospect Casey Mize draws attention in first bullpen of summer camp ]
With the naked eye, it’s hard to believe that Greene is only 19 years old. He was dropped out of high school in Oviedo, Florida and went up two levels in the minor league system in just half a season – in his first year as a professional.
Between Rookie Ball, Class A Connecticut and West Michigan, he scored five home runs and 28 RBIs .271. He might have started this season in Class A in Lakeland if minor league baseball hadn’t canceled the 2020 season because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Instead, he received a simple ticket to the Tigers’ 60-man pool. He and Torkelson have no chance of making a debut in 2020. But the Tigers couldn’t risk losing their best prospects for an entire year of development.
[ Matt Manning looks ready to push the envelope on Tigers’ 2020 plans ]
When he first looked at reporters this summer, Greene showed why he was viewed that way.
Further observations from the first three days of storage:
1. Pitching starts a lot
Not only in the big league, where they have drawn a five-man rotation by Matthew Boyd, Daniel Norris, Ivan Nova, Spencer Turnbull and Jordan Zimmermann, but far beyond.
[ Tigers’ Fulmer looks to be in best shape of life: Will his elbow hold up? ]
The first is Michael Fulmer, whose look was most impressive among jugs and catchers. Then there are the best starting pitching perspectives for right-handed Matt Manning, Casey Mize and left-handed Tarik Skubal.
Don’t forget Alex Faedo. And although you can’t be held responsible, don’t forget Franklin Perez.
2. Perez’s future
Perez threw a bullpen session on Saturday afternoon. You have to try not to see a great future in your body. Perez, just 22 years old, has grown to 6-foot-3, 197 pounds.
Of course, he couldn’t stay in the least healthy.
As the largest piece that was acquired from the Astros trade three seasons ago, its reputation has certainly lost its luster. In the past, the tigers were not inclined to roll their starting pitchers until it was a scenario in the latter case.
You are probably not yet at Perez, but if you watch him, you can certainly see a back-end helper there. The time may come for the tigers to see if he can’t stay healthier in another role. In any case, it’s just big out there.
[ Miguel Cabrera offers sneak peek at potential comeback season: What we saw ]
3. Miggy is in a good mood
As manager Ron Gardenhire said on Sunday morning, Cabrera’s positive attitude was palpable. On Saturday, he left the shelter, beckoned to the team members in the crowd, and didn’t stop dancing through the stretchy part of the day.
The youngsters have certainly brought some excitement to the camp, but don’t neglect the Tiger’s veteran supplements in the off-season.
Although people like CJ Cron, Austin Romine, and Jonathan Schoop are not known names, they are legitimate Major League players, and this type of support is likely to welcome Cabrera.
Contact Anthony Fenech at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @anthonyfenech. Read more about the Detroit Tigers and subscribe to our Tigers newsletter.
