Hunter Greene

BIOGRAPHY

Hunter Greene was born August 6, 1999, in Los Angeles, California. He is a pitcher in the MLB.

Greene was considered a potential first overall draft pick for the 2017 MLB draft. The Cincinnati Reds selected him, as a pitcher, with the second overall selection. Greene signed a professional contract with the Reds at the signing deadline, forgoing his commitment to UCLA, for a $7.23 million signing bonus, the largest bonus given out during the slotting system that began in 2012, and the largest bonus since Gerrit Cole received an $8 million bonus in 2011. The Reds assigned Greene to the Billings Mustangs of the Rookie-level Pioneer League. He played as a pitcher and as a designated hitter on days he did not pitch. He made three pitching appearances for Billings, totaling 4+1⁄3 innings pitched, and batted 7-for-30 (.233) as a designated hitter.

After impressing coaches during spring training, Greene made the Reds' Opening Day roster for the 2022 MLB season. He made his major league debut on April 10, earning the win in a 6–3 Cincinnati victory over defending World Series champions the Atlanta Braves. Greene allowed three earned runs on four hits while striking out seven batters over five innings. Facing the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 17 for his second start, Greene set an MLB record by throwing 39 pitches at speeds of 100 mph (160 km/h) or higher. The previous record was set by Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets, who threw 33 pitches at that velocity on June 5, 2021. On August 1, Greene pitched six scoreless innings against the Miami Marlins. It was his third outing in which he pitched at least six innings, struck out eight or more batters while allowing no more than one hit, a record for rookie pitchers in the live-ball era.