Riley Greene hits a homegrown milestone

The one blemish is the swing-and-miss in his game. Greene’s strikeout rate sits at 30 percent, well above the league average of 22.4 percent and in the bottom four percent of MLB. But where he offsets that weakness is with elite quality of contact. Baseball Savant places him in the 97th percentile for barrel rate (18.3%), the 92nd percentile in expected slugging (.533), and the 91st percentile in bat speed (75.5 mph). He also excels in squaring up the baseball, ranking in the 89th percentile for sweet-spot percentage (39.2%). Those metrics explain why his overall batting run value ranks in the 85th percentile despite the high strikeout totals.

Riley Greene’s place in Tigers History

What makes Greene’s season stand out even more is the historical context. Since the MLB Draft began in 1965, only four Tigers players: Bobby Higginson, Jason Thompson, Tony Clark, and now Greene, have posted a season with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBI. To accomplish that at age 24, while still refining his approach at the plate, underscores just how advanced his bat has become., Greene’s breakout is particularly significant. Detroit has too often leaned on trades or free agency for lineup anchors, making his rise as a homegrown slugger both rare and vital. (See Cecil Fielder, Mickey Tettleton, Miguel Cabrera)

Greene isn’t a complete hitter yet. He needs to hit against lefties better however, his ability to consistently do damage when he connects makes him one of the most dangerous young bats in baseball. And when you pair that raw production with the historical company he just joined, it’s clear the Tigers have a middle-of-the-order force who still hasn’t hit his ceiling.