For a guy who's still pretty reserved with the media, Riley Greene's enthusiasm came straight through the camera Wednesday as he thought about all his progress this summer. And all his possibilities ahead.
"My confidence is the highest it’s ever been," said Greene.
Why, you might ask?
"My swing right now feels better than it’s ever felt in my life."
Well then. That should be a troubling thought for pitchers who cross his path in Lakeland, where the Tigers opened instructional league play Wednesday with a game against the Blue Jays. After a summer of intrasquad scrimmages in Toledo, Greene smiled and said he's looking forward to taking swings off real opponents.
"I can finally hit a ball hard without feeling bad for the pitcher," he said.
And it should be an intoxicating thought for the Tigers, who were concerned about their top prospects losing a precious season of development in the absence of minor league baseball due to COVID-19. Greene, the fifth overall pick in 2019, did just fine at the team's alternate training site in Toledo -- after dazzling at summer camp in Detroit.
"I think summer camp and Toledo was probably one of the best things for me," Greene said. "I learned a lot about myself as a player, and I learned a lot about my swing."
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Greene's swing has never been anything but a strength. The first time he let it rip at Comerica Park he was hitting balls onto the Pepsi Porch in right field. Former Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire was standing behind the cage that day and later called it 'one of the purest swings you'll ever see.' In Greene's growing package of tools, his silky left-handed stroke remains the most impressive.
He didn't so much change it this summer as he learned to harness it with a better approach.
"My approach changed and my mindset to things changed," said Greene. "With these pitchers, they’re a lot better than the guys that are in low-A obviously. Just trying to work in the gaps, trying not to be pull-happy, trying to stay up the middle of the field as much as I can. And working on my hands and trying to stay inside the ball and always being on time."
Greene credited the coaching staff in Toledo with helping him adjust. It was a mental shift as much as a physical one. To wit: less is more. Greene has always had confidence in his swing, and now he says it's "way better." He's always felt at home at the plate, and now he says he's more "comfortable" than ever.
"I feel like this swing is going to be the swing I have for a long time," Greene said.
It's not the only thing he's bringing with him to Detroit, be it next year or 2022. Greene continues to improve with his glove, after flashing the leather at Comerica Park back in July. And he's focused on getting faster this winter, so he can hit the ground running next spring.
"I want to be able to steal more bags," he said.
It could have been a lost summer for Greene. The spark in his voice Wednesday made it clear that wasn't the case. Since the day he was drafted, Greene has talked about taking things one day at a time. Now he sounds like a guy who can't wait for tomorrow -- for the next game, the next pitch, the next chance to take another step toward Detroit.