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Detroit Tigers: After impressive debut, when can Riley Greene make it to MLB?

By Michael Adzima

DETROIT, MI - JUNE 7: Detroit Tigers first round draft pick Riley Greene smiles after being introduced to the crowd during the third inning of a game against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park on June 7, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. Greene agreed to a contract just two days after being selected No. 5 overall in the Major League Baseball Draft. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - JUNE 7: Detroit Tigers first round draft pick Riley Greene smiles after being introduced to the crowd during the third inning of a game against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park on June 7, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. Greene agreed to a contract just two days after being selected No. 5 overall in the Major League Baseball Draft. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /
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Detroit Tigers first-round pick Riley Greene had an extremely impressive minor league debut on Monday.

When the Detroit Tigers selected Riley Greene with the fifth overall pick in this year’s MLB Draft, everyone knew he had big potential at the plate. Greene was absolutely on fire in the batter’s box during his minor league debut on Monday in the Gulf Coast League, which should prompt Tigers fans to wonder how fast the 18-year-old can climb through the ranks.

Greene went 4-5 with two home runs, a double, and five RBI on Monday in his debut for the rookie Gulf Coast League Tigers. Coming into the draft, the outfielder was praised as possibly the best high school hitter in the country, and now it seems as if the Detroit Tigers may have come across something truly special.

With Greene just coming out of high school, it makes more sense for the Tigers to elect to have him begin his career in the Gulf Coast League rather than with the Low-A West Michigan Whitecaps. If he keeps up performances like this, don’t be too surprised if Greene ends 2019 in West Michigan or even in Lakeland.

Monday is just one game, so there’s no way to know if Riley Greene will keep putting up numbers like that on a regular basis just yet. Looking forward into 2020, I think that the furthest Greene could make it next year would be Double-A Erie, assuming he starts next season in Lakeland.

Reaching Erie next year in 2020, then that could set up perfectly for Greene to make his big league debut for the Detroit Tigers sometime during the 2021 season. This is all speculation, but right now this possible timeline doesn’t seem all too bad to me or other Tigers fans I’m sure.

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I don’t want to get too ahead of myself when it comes to Riley Greene, but that minor league debut was quite impressive, to say the least. Seeing Greene in the major leagues two years from now, given that he stays healthy and keeps tearing it up in the minors, doesn’t seem like too bad of an idea.

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