a day ago
Tigers' Riley Greene keeps slugging even as he approaches strikeout record
DETROIT — Friday afternoon, Riley Greene stepped into the left-handed batter's box when there were only a handful of people on the field at Comerica Park field. Tigers hitting coach Keith Beauregard fed balls into a pitching machine. Greene laced a few balls to right field, then center. In his next round, he worked the opposite field gap.
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He stood off to the side with Michael Brdar, another one of Detroit's three hitting coaches, talking about his swing. Greene mimicked his load and the initial movement of his top hand. He went through his finish and his follow-through. Tigers legend Alan Trammell stood behind the cage, too. The back of his shirt bore one of the team's mantras. Everything matters.
Greene is rarely one to hit on the field. After he took batting practice before the All-Star Game, he said, 'I haven't hit on the field in two years.' Greene often prefers the confines of the Tigers' underground cage, where music blares and hitters can go through their routines in privacy.
Here amid another brutal slump, though, Greene was changing things up. He wanted to see the ball jump off his bat and land in the Comerica Park grass. Mired in the dog days, he wanted to have some fun with teammates Spencer Torkelson and Dillon Dingler.
'It's good to know I can still hit baseballs,' Greene said at his locker afterward.
Greene has always been a streaky hitter, but his most recent cold spell has been arguably his worst. From the second game of a July 2 doubleheader to Friday's series opener against the Angels, Greene was hitting .173. He belted five home runs in that span, but he also struck out 47 times in 115 plate appearances. He is MLB's leader in strikeouts, and if he continues punching out at anything close to this recent rate, he could threaten to set an MLB record.
Mark Reynolds holds the mark for single-season strikeouts by a hitter at 223. Greene has punched out 156 times through 119 games this season.
If he continues on that pace, Greene would finish the year with 212 strikeouts, tied for the ninth-worst mark ever.
Friday afternoon in Detroit, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch did not try to downplay the struggles. He seemed to support the slight change to Greene's routine.
'We've all seen the last month,' Hinch said. 'When you keep trying to do the same thing over and over again, it's the definition of insanity.'
At times this year, Greene has played like precisely the hitter he was drafted to be, an aircraft carrier who has achieved the top level of his power potential. Greene has launched 27 home runs, tied for fourth in the American League. He was an All-Star starter who also has the steepest swing in the game, entering the weekend at an average path tilt of 45 degrees.
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Greene is swinging more aggressively than ever this season. The home runs have been a reward. The strikeouts have been the obvious, unintended cost.
'No,' Greene said when asked if he expected an uptick in strikeouts entering the year. 'I think that it comes with it, and I like hitting homers, and sometimes I get excited and I swing at balls in the dirt that aren't even close. It is what it is. It happens. It's the game. Just try to shorten that and not chase as much and get better pitches to hit.'
(Baseball Savant)
There's a temptation to view Greene through one of two lenses: a frustrating player who strikes out far too much or a dynamic difference maker worthy of a massive contract extension. The reality, as it often does, lies somewhere in between. Greene is a uniquely talented hitter. He is one of Detroit's best homegrown position players in eons. He is 24 years old and is capable of becoming one of the best players in the American League.
Yet there are still flaws he is working to overcome.
On 13 occasions this year, Greene has struck out three times in a game. Twice, he has achieved the notorious Golden Sombrero — four strikeouts in a single game.
'I feel like I'm not seeing the ball,' Greene said Friday. 'I'm not focusing on the ball. Focusing on different things. Thinking about different things. Got to simplify and stick to my strengths and not go to other people's strengths. Stick to mine. Hunt my zones. Do some damage.'
We have seen Greene endure these sorts of droughts. He has often come out of them with incredible stretches of strong performances. Take this weekend as evidence.
Greene had two hits Friday night against the Angels. On Sunday, he hit three balls that left the bat at 100 mph or greater, including a line-drive home run.
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'I say this over and over when people ask me: Do they need encouragement? Do they need a pat on the back? Do they need a kick in the ass?' Hinch said. 'They need hits. That's the best remedy for guys to feel better about themselves.'
As Greene searches for more hits, he is trying different things. He shaved down to a goofy mustache, then regrew his beard. He hit on the field. He is working to cover both the high fastballs that he has whiffed on at a concerning rate and lay off the low spin that has caused him to chase at a troublesome clip.
'You can't (cover both),' Greene said. 'You got to pick one and you got to stick to one and whatever happens, happens. They're not always going to throw a fastball up for a strike and then throw a curveball down for a strike. They're not gonna do it. No one can do that every single time.'
Greene's troubles have mirrored those of a Tigers team that entered Sunday with MLB's worst walk rate since the All-Star break. As the Tigers look to keep what could be a special season afloat, Greene should play a key role in determining whether the Tigers can recapture their magic or continue a downward slide.
'We are a different offense when he's a part of it,' Hinch said. '(But) he doesn't have to carry this offense. We need to do a lot of things better as a collective group.'
Friday against the Angels, Hinch dropped Greene to sixth in the batting order, the lowest he has hit in a start since he batted sixth in his MLB debut. Saturday, Greene did not start against a left-handed pitcher.
Sunday, though, Greene was back in the cleanup spot. He notched two hits and drove in three runs. He looked like a middle-of-the-order force, and the Tigers earned a series victory.
'It sucks to struggle,' Greene said Friday. 'It is what it is. It's only a matter of one pitch and one swing, and then the floodgates open.'
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