COMSTOCK PARK, Mich — Riley Greene may be the top offensive prospect in the Tigers Organization, now but he admits there was a time when the game did not come easy.
"Nothing comes naturally in my opinion," said Greene, the son of a hitting coach. "You have to work on everything. I worked on it a lot when I was younger."
It's safe to all that work paid off. This past June, the Tigers made the 18-year-old Florida native, the fifth overall pick of the draft. Coming straight from high school, it was a welcome change of pace.
"I mean it's better than sitting behind a desk and doing school work," he joked. "I'm having a blast."
He's also been killing it on the field. After playing just nine games in the Gulf Coast League, Greene was quickly promoted to the New York Penn League, After just 24 games there, he was sent here to West Michigan where it did not take long for him to make an impression.
"Well you know the first thing you look for is if somebody shows up here and they look like they're intimidated," said Whitecaps Manager Lance Parrish. "He does not look like he's intimidated."
Even though Greene has had a ton of recent success, Parrish says it could be a while before he moves up again. In fact, Parrish says Greene's got some work to do.
"He'll finish the season here obviously," Parrish said. "My guess is that he'll start here next year. Depending on how he does, he could move up to Lakeland if he shows that he's ready for that."
Greene knows there are a lot of people expecting big things from him down the line. However, if he's feeling any pressure, he's not showing it.
"I don't really think about like all the expectations and stuff, I'm just here to have fun and play," he said.
There's still a ways to go before he makes it to the majors, but when it comes to Riley Greene, this is one kid who is not afraid of a little hard work.
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