Ranking the Cincinnati Reds best rookie starters heading into the 2022 season

2. Hunter Greene, Reds starting pitcher

Now, many folks throughout Reds Country will look at Hunter Greene ranked No. 2 on this list and question my sanity, but bare with me for a moment. I think Greene has the potential to be a franchise-altering talent similar to what we've seen from superstars like Shohei Ohtani and Jacob deGrom.

That said, I don't expect to see that level of excellence from Greene during his rookie season. While we've heard about Greene elite skillset since the California native was taken with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, let's not forget that the flamethrower is just 22 years old.

Greene has spent more time rehabbing from Tommy John surgery than he has on the bump. The right-hander underwent elbow surgery in 2018 and due to rehab and the COVID-19 pandemic, didn't find his way back onto a professional baseball field until last season.

Hunter Greene was dominant against the competition he faced at Double-A. In seven starts, Greene punched out 60 batters over 41 innings and posted a 1.98 ERA. Greene was quickly promoted to Triple-A Louisville where he made 14 starts. While Greene still maintained an incredible strikeout-rate (28.6%), there were cracks in his overall game as illustrated by his 4.13 ERA and 4.46 FIP.

Greene will get his shot to compete for spot in the Cincinnati Reds starting rotation, and he may very well be on the Opening Day roster. That said, his inexperience may lead the Reds brass to send Greene to the Derby City to start his 2022 campaign. We'll see Hunter Greene at Great American Ball Park next season, it's just a matter of when.