Detroit Tigers: Riley Greene Offers Little Upside At Fifth Overall

Fifth overall the Detroit Tigers selected High School Outfielder Riley Greene who is disappointing when CJ Abrams was available is tough to stomach. The Tigers do have some upside from Greene, but it seems like Abrams was the better pick.

If you read anything on Riley Greene right now, you’re going to find out how Greene has the “purest bat” in the draft, “has wanted to come to the Tigers for a long time,” or possibly even that he’s a great pick at fifth overall. Another question begged to be asked is how does Greene have the purest bat in the draft when Bobby Witt Jr. was drafted second overall out of high school? The Detroit Tigers seem to have selected one of the most overrated players in this draft.

Laying it all out there for those who do not know anything about Greene of who he is, he is an outfielder from Hagerty High School in Florida. Greene is a 6’1″, 191-pound frame which is most likely going to be slotted as a corner outfielder as his career progresses. Greene does not have a vast speed element, but he has enough speed to play centerfield at the high school level.

Saving the best for last, Greene offers the most upside with his hitting tool, which is what was the most scouted and most talked about tool. Greene has an advanced hitting approach for that of a high school player. The best part of his approach is his ability to drive the ball to all areas of the field as a left-handed hitter. Greene does have an issue with his swing and miss rate which the Tigers are going to have to coach him up on and work with him on.

The biggest downside to picking Greene fifth overall is that the Tigers left CJ Abrams on the draft board. Abrams was the better pick for the Tigers since he is a middle infielder who has the speed of Dee Gordon with even more pop in his bat. Abrams has more upside which would have allowed the Tigers to add a new infielder to the crop of prospects in the minor leagues.

Taking Greene with the fifth overall pick was not the best decision to be candid, both he and Abrams are in high school which means a LOT can change between now and whenever they hit the big leagues, but it sure seems like Abrams was the better pick. Greene is overrated, and it’s going to show as time goes on.

Besides the Detroit Tigers taking Riley Greene, they also had the forty-seventh overall pick in the draft where they selected a third baseman out of the University of Arizona, Nick Quintana. The biggest attraction that comes from Quintana is his above-average power tool. There has been a worry about high strikeout rates from Quintana, but that should not be a huge factor for him. To lighten the mood of all the downgrading Greene, check out Quintana’s amazing flow.

The Detroit Tigers have rounds three through ten today which will fill out their draft board with more names, but as the draft continues, these are the two players who came from day one of the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft.