Riley Greene Can Do No Wrong – And One Coach Wants Him In Detroit

Okay, before we start, let's make one thing clear. 

No matter how well he plays in spring training, no matter how many balls he blasts over the fence and chases down in the outfield, Riley Greene isn't making the Tigers this year. He's 19. He finished last season in A-ball. There's zero chance he starts this one in Detroit.

"Not if you talk to Lloyd McClendon," Ron Gardenhire cracked in an interview with the Jamie and Stoney Show. "You gotta talk to (bench coach) Lloyd McClendon. He took him over to Bradenton the other day and he hit a home run and walked twice and Lloyd's going, 'Gardy, let's put him in the lineup.'"

Riley Greene HR -- pic.twitter.com/BC58zYMuXO

That was on Sunday. On Tuesday Gardenhire brought Greene back to Lakeland, he said, "because I want to see him play, too." In his first at-bat he walked. In his second he clubbed another homer. Greene's been to the plate five times this spring and hasn't made an out. 

"I told some of the guys, that's it, I'm done," Greene joked after Tuesday's game, via the Detroit News. "Just kidding. I'm not done."

No, he's just getting started. The fifth overall pick in last year's draft has a bright future ahead of him in Detroit. On top of his preternatural feel for the bat, Greene's beginning to show some flair with the glove. His critics say he won't be able to play center field in the majors, much less at Comerica Park. Greene says those critics are fuel. 

He made something of a statement on Sunday when he hauled in a line drive on the warning track in right field, then tipped his cap to the pitcher. 

"Wow, Riley Greene!" said one TV commentator on the opposing team's broadcast.  

"That was pretty," said the other.

Here's Riley Greene's nice running catch from earlier today against the Pirates. pic.twitter.com/rMQx5djfxG

Observing Greene thus far, you wonder if Gardenhire isn't harking back to his early days with the Twins. He watched a first-rounder by the name Torii Hunter come up with the organization in the late 90's, then another by the name of Joe Mauer arrive a few years later. Their All-Star tools were evident from the jump. 

Does Gardenhire see similar promise in Greene? 

"Oh, absolutely," he said. "Saw it when he came to Detroit last year after we drafted him and watched him hit the ball off the Pepsi sign out there in right field. He was blasting balls up there, with kind of one of the purest swings you'll ever see live. He's really athletic. It's an exciting time. 

"This is a great time for us to actually get to see him do some things in spring training. Bring him over here a few times, let him go with the ballclub, get him some at-bats and we get to see a little bit of the future of this organization -- and he's definitely that."

Tigers Envision Riley Greene In Center Field

Hunter and Mauer, by the way, combined for 11 All-Star selections, 12 Gold Gloves and seven Silver Sluggers. Greene's still in minor-league camp. He'll likely start 2020 with Class-A West Michigan. Maybe, if he plays well, he'll get a promotion to Double-A Erie by the end of the year. But even that feels like a stretch. 

Looking further ahead, Green's probably two-plus years from Detroit. A mid-season call-up in 2022 is a feasible arrival. Sure, Greene can close the gap between now and then, but these things take time. Bryce Harper, maybe the most polished player the draft has ever seen, went first overall in 2010 and debuted in 2012. 

Then he won Rookie of the Year. 

For now, let's just bask in Greene's early impression down south. 

How sweet is Greene's swing?pic.twitter.com/w6T6F6SbKw

Other highlights from Gardenhire's interview on 97.1 The Ticket:

On chances of a top pitching prospect (Mize, Manning, Skubal) making Tigers out of camp: "I think not. I think the next level of progression for these young pitchers is to get to Triple-A where you'll see guys that have been in the major leagues. A little bit better competition as far as experience goes. Triple-A's a really good stepping stone for that. But ultimately the goal is to start moving those guys up here during the course of the year, and I think that's what's going to happen.

"It's fun watching these guys take the ball and get out there on the mound, because they're pretty doggone good with great stuff. We have some depth (in front of) those kids that hopefully we won't have to use. Hopefully the guys we have in the rotation will get us through the first half and then we go from there."

On this being a make-or-break season for Christin Stewart: "He's still a young man, we want to see him step up and see what he can really do. He's had some injuries and defensively we know his shortcomings, but offensively he needs to step up. We need to see this kid do what everybody expects him to do and what we think he has in him."