Somebody needs to put Clayton Kershaw and Mike Trout on notice – Hunter Greene just might be the best overall baseball player in Los Angeles.
Armed with a 100-mphfastballand light-tower power, Greene is continuing the rich tradition of high school baseball in the San FernandoValley. With a bevy of sensational performances as a right-handed pitcher from Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Greene leaves scouts bewildered as they try to project him for the draft.
The reason?
That same arm strength, athleticism and range combine to make him a top prospect at shortstop as well. In fact, his prowess with the bat is so strong that Baseball America projects him as thetopoverall pick in the upcoming June MLB Draft.
Greene, a 6’3″ Stevenson Ranch native, grew up in the shadow of talented players. He was mentored by Aaron Hicks (Long Beach Wilson HS, New YorkYankees), Anthony Gose (Bellflower HS, DetroitTigers), Dominic Smith (Gardena Serra HS, New YorkMets) and Marcus Wilson (Gardena Serra HS, ArizonaDiamondbacks) while commuting to Compton to play in the Urban Youth Academy.
He carries a 3.5 grade point average andcommittedto play baseball at UCLA when he was 13 years old, nearly unheard of – but for a player with his prodigious talent, it was a smart scholarship offer from UCLA baseball coach John Savage.
Notre Dame plays in Southern Section CIF Division I, widelyregardedas one of the most competitive in the nation. Greenebatted.419 with a 1.250 OPS as a junior last season with only six strikeouts in 113 plate appearances.
On the mound, Greene sported a 1.63 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 55 2/3 innings, allowing only ten walks.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame has a richlegacyin baseball, as Tim Foli was selected in the first round in 1968 and Hall of Fame general manager Pat Gillick graduated from the school in 1954. Former Cy Young winner Jack McDowell was part of the class of 1993.
More recently, Brendan Ryan of the SeattleMarinersand Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins were selected out of the school; Stanton is thehighestpaid player in MLB history.
Next: Kings Announce Special Press Conference
The Minnesota Twins will choose first in the Junedraft, which will take place on June 12. A right-handed pitcher has never been chosen with the top overall selection, but with Greene’s ability with a bat, a ball and a glove – there may have never been a prospect with such a tantalizing skill set.
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