Hunter Greene leads MLB in hurling 100-mph pitches — and hurling on the mound
Cincinnati Reds flamethrower Hunter Greene leads the National League in walks, hit batters and vomit.
None are desirable — especially the one involving heaving something other than a baseball — yet the former Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High star is a serious Cy Young Award contender in his third major league season.
The .185 batting average against Greene is the lowest in the NL, and he leads league pitchers with 5.3 wins above replacement. His 2.83 earned-run average is third among starters, behind Atlanta’s Chris Sale (2.61) and Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler (2.78).
And, yes, he does lead baseball in hurling 100-mph pitches as well as hurling on the mound.
Greene set records for most triple-digit fastballs in a season and in a game in 2022. He also vomited into his glove during the fifth inning of his start Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals, the third time this season he has lost his lunch between pitches.
David Bell, in his sixth season as Reds manager after playing 12 major leagues seasons, did his darnedest to offer perspective, sounding as if he envied Greene.
“I think he feels better after it happens,” Bell said. “I think a lot of us feel like throwing up during the game sometimes and it doesn’t come out, so maybe he just feels better after that.”
Possibly, but other players haven’t followed suit — thankfully. Greene’s first upchuck came June 19 at Pittsburgh, and he attributed it to drinking too much water before the outing, during which he chucked six scoreless innings.
Six days later at Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark and again facing the Pirates, Greene walked Andrew McCutchen to begin the first inning, then after throwing Strike 1 to Bryan Reynolds, Greene doubled over and threw up on the mound.
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Reynolds promptly homered and Greene was lifted, giving up six runs in four innings. Too much water wasn’t the problem.
“I can’t say that because I did the opposite this time,” Greene said. “I tried not to have the same result as last time. I’m not going to sit here and make a big deal out of it because it’s not a big deal. But I’m going to take some pills and stuff like that to help with my stomach and hope it goes away.”
It did happen one more time, but in eight starts since the second episode, the right-hander has posted a 1.06 ERA. He’s pitched six or seven innings in each of his last seven starts.
“He’s a beast,” Reds first baseman Jeimer Candelario said. “Every five days taking the ball going to the mound, you expect to have a ‘W’ with him. He’s dominating.”
All things considered, Greene, who turned 25 on Aug. 6, is developing into the staff ace nearly everyone in baseball predicted he’d become. He was only the 13th high school athlete to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated, and was described thus: “Baseball’s LeBron or the new Babe? He’s 17. He mashes. He throws 102. Hunter Greene is the star baseball needs (First he has to finish high school).”
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Hyperbole? Certainly, but he did touch 93 mph at age 14 and 100 mph as a Notre Dame junior. And he also was a shortstop with prodigious power.
“We had fans trying to get their Sports Illustrated magazine signed by him while we’re trying to get on the bus,” Notre Dame coach Tom Dill said. “We had lines of people. I had to stop it. I even saw some opposing coaches in the line.”
Not surprisingly, Greene was drafted by the Reds in 2017 with the second overall pick, and he signed for a $7.23-million bonus. He soon endeared himself to the fan base with his maturity and social awareness.
Despite growing up in suburban Stevenson Ranch, Greene spent quality time at the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton. When he reached triple A, he gave away 3,000 pairs of new cleats to local youth and high school players in Los Angeles.
“I’m doing this because I have the platform to be able to give back,” Greene said at the time. “It’s important to spread the love, be able to provide kids with the best resources, the best equipment … If I can help with that and make the kids feel special, that’s the ultimate goal. And I’m happy and proud to do that.”
Despite Tommy John surgery in 2019 and development impeded because of COVID restrictions, Greene ascended to the Reds’ rotation by 2022. Early results were mixed, with him throwing 339 pitches 100 mph or faster — the previous record was 200 — and striking out 164 in 125-2/3 innings, yet giving up 24 home runs and posting a 5-13 record and 4.44 ERA.
Reds’ brass remained unwavering in their support, and Greene signed a back-loaded six-year, $53-million contract the following April that could grow to more than $90 million with incentives and a club option in 2029. His progress plateaued in 2023, however, with Greene turning in a 4.82 ERA in 112 innings.
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The difference this season? His strikeout and walk rates remain high, but he is inducing more ground balls and giving up significantly fewer home runs — crucial at hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark. He’s also getting more batters to chase pitches out of the strike zone.
The NL Cy Young race is tight, with the Padres’ Dylan Cease and the Cubs’ Shota Imanaga in the mix, along with Sale, Wheeler and Greene. Pirates rookie sensation Paul Skenes and reigning Cy Young winner Blake Snell probably won’t have enough innings to justify enough votes.
Sale, who has never won a Cy Young in a decorated 14-year career, is considered the favorite at this point. Greene, though, is 10 years younger and improving. He should remain in the Cy Young conversation for years to come.
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