Hunter Greene's career, however it finishes up, is going to be a truly interesting one, one that's very indicative of the pitching trends of the moment. He was the #2 overall pick in 2017, but doesn't make the majors til 2022 due to a mix of injuries and the collapse of the 2020 minor league season. He's always been very good in the majors but has never had a season longer than 26 games due to his continued injury issues. He's gone from a full strikeout artist to a smarter, more thoughtful ace with that same strikeout ability. Even in those three partial seasons, he's still struck out 150 or more. Last season he was on the way to a Cy Young when he got injured yet again. Now he's very healthy, and playing better than he's ever played.
But...even when he's playing well, Hunter Greene gives you that uncertain, worried feeling. Like at any moment he's going to fall apart again. Two starts ago he was unbelievable, going 7 strong with 8 Ks, only allowing 2 hits. His last start was a lot shakier, getting yanked after 3 with 5 earned runs against the Orioles. With every time somebody like Greene gets really lit up, you get worried that an injury is coming soon. And I have Greene on my fantasy team, so I'd really, really like that to not happen. But that's what big game pitching is right now: going all out every start and hoping it doesn't screw you up enough to miss time.
I think Hunter Greene has to be aware of this, as well as the fact that the majority of his Reds rotation compatriots are of this mindset as well. Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, Brandon Williamson and Rhett Lowder have all missed time recently. Greene has lost a ton of time that he could have capitalized on already, and like other oft-injured high draft picks, like Royce Lewis, Byron Buxton and Casey Mize, he's trying to fight the perception of him as a 'could have been somebody' guy.
This said, Greene so far has been excellent, barring that Baltimore start. He's got a 2.35 ERA and 35 Ks, which is fantastic. Andrew Abbott is 2-0 since being activated, with a 1.64 ERA. Nick Lodolo, despite the idea that he's trying not to overexert himself, has been very dominant, with a 2.79 ERA and a 0.966 WHIP. Brady Singer is 4-0, even if statistically he's not as flashy as the others. The bullpen has also taken a great spike upward, with Emilio Pagan taking over for Alexis Diaz in the ninth, Tony Santillan, Taylor Rogers, Brent Suter and surprisingly Graham Ashcraft, taking to his relief role insanely well. That has helped this team, even if, aside from some cheesy bench power, there's not a whole lot going on offensively at the moment.
I hope Hunter Greene, and the Reds, stay relevant and healthy this year. It's about time something happened on both fronts.
Coming Tonight: One of those guys that seems to simply hit home runs more often, and more casually, than anyone else.
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