Reds Beat: Hunter Greene Shows Why He’s Ready To Take That Next Leadership Step ‘The manager can only do so much’

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Hunter Greene is determined to prove he’s ready to assume one of the primary leadership roles on the team.

Last year, he admitted in spring training that he was hungry to be an ace of the Reds’ pitching staff and accept all the responsibility that comes with that.

He responded with his best season, his first All-Star appearance and a 9-5 record, a 2.72 ERA and a very impressive 1.02 WHIP in 26 starts. In early 2023, when the Reds signed him to a six-year, $53 million extension, this is part of what they had envisioned.

Now, entering his fourth MLB season, Greene is ready to make good on the other half, leading a staff that has the potential of being one of the deepest and most effective rotations in recent Reds history.

To be fair, Greene – the second overall pick in 2017 – has always had a leadership air about him since he stepped into the Reds clubhouse in 2021. He has grown beyond that hard-throwing right-hander that overcame Tommy John surgery early in 2019 and the COVID year of 2020 to become the voice of the staff.

“I felt like I’ve been in a pretty special position from a leadership standpoint for the last couple of years now, which is kind of crazy to say, but I truly believe that,” Greene said. “I believe that I’ve always been in that position from even before high school and the strides that I was making compared to some of my other peers, I’ve always been in that leadership position. Coming into camp, and especially this year, seeing the younger guys, Rhett (Lowder) and (Julian) Aguiar and Chase (Burns), and even Chase Petty and some of these other guys. Man, they’re in a really good place, but I want to just be able to provide that support system behind them.”

Greene has been working with Chase Burns closely in camp, the hard-throwing right-hander out of Tennessee/Wake Forest taken in the first round by the Reds last summer.

“Chase, having him understand that he’s already enough, it’s just being able to tweak little things here and there,” Greene said. “And I don’t have all the answers, but I have some experience so far in my pro career, and I’ve been able to take some pretty good nuggets from other people, and I just want to be able to be that tool for other guys that they can lean on and trust, but also feel confident enough to talk to and communicate with as well.”

This week, he made it clear through his words that while having a future hall of fame manager in the dugout is great, Terry Francona can’t do everything for the Reds. The players have to accept their roles and do their part.

“Yeah, for sure. Having him here and having the experience (he brings) I think is really special,” Greene told me. “But at the same time, I do want to make it clear that Terry’s a human being, and the expectation of, ‘Oh, Terry Francona is here. We’re gonna go to the World Series. We’re going to go to the playoffs.’ We need to do our job as players. The manager can only do so much. I think there’s been maybe too much of an expectation on him, whether it’s through media, through fans, on him putting us in that position. Obviously, he’s a fantastic manager. We all trust him and believe him, but we need to go do our part. And I think people need to keep that in perspective.

“Obviously, Terry’s reputation (is that he’s) already a Hall of Fame manager, so to be under his tutelage and leadership and mentorship is a true blessing. I think the biggest thing has just been his convictions behind everything that he’s been able to share with the team. And you believe in that, you trust that, and you feel it. And every single word that comes out of his mouth has been very just strong and a conviction behind it. It’s exciting to be able to feel that support and that backing as a player. So once we go out there to play, you know that you have that support and that he’s making all the right moves behind you, and you just go out there and you can focus and control what you need to.”

Greene is keenly aware of the hunger of the fan base and the expectations that have been raised with the hiring of Francona.

“I’ve been getting it since I’ve been drafted,” said Greene, who was taken second overall in the 2017 draft. “That’s the expectation, and that’s what every city wants. They want that excitement. They want that life back in the city, especially since the last time we’ve been to the playoffs. So the city deserves it, the fans deserve it, and we’re just trying to give it to him as much as we can.”

Greene has shown up in excellent condition, thanks to his offseason workout regiment that was tweaked just a bit this winter. The objective? Get into the final three innings of a game more often, helping Francona manage his bullpen.

“The only real new addition to my workouts was a running program,” Greene said. “And I’ve always been a runner. I’ve always enjoyed running, not long distance, but sprinting. So I was very, very consistent with that. Actually had a coach, and we had three days a week we would actually run, and other days I would run as well. But three days out of the week I was with him, which helps with endurance, being able to sustain your strength and consistency through the season. So, I’m trying to be in that seventh, eighth, ninth inning every single start. So, the focus and attention to being able to not just feel good and feel explosive and athletic, but also have the endurance and to go with it was really important.”

His biggest goals this season?

“I’ll let the numbers take care of themselves,” Greene said “I just trying to go out there and help the team win.”

What about dreams of a Cy Young award?

“All the time,” Greene said. “I’ll let that take care of itself.”