Detroit Tigers: Riley Greene continues to impress with his performance

Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene continues to impress.

The Detroit Tigers have to be thrilled with the output from Riley Greene, who has broken onto the big-league scene. He has been exceptional for the Tigers in many aspects, not just his performance in the batters’ box since making his debut.

When it comes to the Detroit Tigers rebuild, things are in shambles, but Greene has been getting the job done with ease. He has been a solid piece of what the Tigers are building, even if this year has been a step back in the rebuild.

The future seems bright for Greene. He has consistently made highlight-reel catches, found ways to get on base, and done well in the batter’s box. The Tigers have started to see Greene anchor down centerfield and raise eyebrows with his actions out there.

Whether it’s running down balls in the gap, making good throws in from the outfield, or just looking the part more often, Greene is coming into his own. During the recent series with the Astros, he showed his latest audition for the Sportscenter Top-10.

His ability to cover ground and come up with the ball has been remarkable. The catch above is just one of many this season. He’s got a highlight reel full of them, saving pitchers and recording outs. It’s something the Tigers fanbase has to be excited about for his future in the Motor City.

Riley Greene has swung it well for the Detroit Tigers.

Besides his defense, Greene has been able to swing the bat well and show off the bat that the Tigers organization was so excited about when they drafted him. He’s still just 21 years old and continuing to fill out and use his strength.

I have said since Day one of Greene being in the big leagues that he will see a knock on his power numbers because of where he plays his home games. Comerica Park will steal home runs from him, especially as a lefty who works gap-to-gap and has juice into that pull-side gap.

He showed some of that juice during the series with the Astros, logging a 424-foot fly out to center field—a ball that would have been a home run in 28 different MLB ballparks, but not Comerica.

Greene’s response to the near-home run swing was great.

It truly was a loud out. The Tigers ballpark will not do Greene any favors, and this was an example of it. He has a bright future ahead of him, but expecting him to crank 35-40 home runs may not be in the cards, playing in Comerica Park.

This does not mean that he will not see more extra-base hits during his career. He’s in his debut season and is still finding ways to produce. Greene has logged 303 at-bats in the big leagues, where he has a .257/.321/.376 slash line13 doubles, four triples, and five home runs. He’s managed 31 RBI as well.

While the Tigers are going to hope he can continue to work on his strikeouts and plate discipline, it will come in due time. Greene will be fun to watch for years to come, and he continues to impress with his performance.