Reds: Hunter Greene goes over 100 pitches in latest outing

Cincinnati Reds pitching prospect Hunter Greene eclipsed the 100-pitch mark for the first time this season during last night’s game in Chattanooga. The Lookouts escaped with a 5-4 victory over the Tennessee Smokies, due in no small part to Greene’s fantastic performance.

This was a statement game from Greene, who threw 101 pitches, 70 of which went for strikes. The 21-year-old had undergone Tommy John surgery in 2019, but last night’s showing proved that the former first-round pick is well on his way toward reaching his major league goals.

There’s an outside chance that Hunter Greene could suit up for the Reds in 2021.

It’s not as if throwing 100 pitches is a grand feat. We see minor league and major league hurlers hit the 100-pitch mark on a regular basis. But for a player like Hunter Greene who hadn’t stepped onto a professional field until earlier this month, the 100-plus pitches may be more impressive than the 100-plus MPH fastball he possesses.

Greene was taken with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, one pick after Royce Lewis was selected by the Minnesota Twins. MacKenzie Gore, Keston Hiura, Brendan McKay, and Jo Adell were part of that draft class as well.

Last night, Greene went seven strong innings, allowed just two runs on seven hits and struck out eight batters. According to the Lookouts, the flamethrower lit up the radar gun with 28 pitches registering over 100-MPH.

While the Cincinnati Reds rotation struggles to keep runners off the bases, the club’s dynamic duo at Double-A continue to dominate the opposition. Greene has now logged 28.1 innings, 41 strikeouts, and a 1.91 ERA. His teammate, and fellow first-rounder Nick Lodolo is 2-0 in four starts with a sparkling 0.40 ERA and 32 punch outs.

While fans are practically begging the Reds front office to bring both Greene and Lodolo to the major leagues, that’s not going to happen anytime soon. However, a September call-up is not out of the question, as both pitchers would gain some valuable experience and maybe even help Cincinnati win a few ballgames.

Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo are the future one-two punch atop the Cincinnati Reds rotation. With the struggles we’ve seen from Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray this season, the team’s current one-two punch is looking more and more like a pair of back-of-the-rotation starters.