The best overall baseball player in L.A. might be Hunter Greene
By Evan Lovett
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-mph fastball and light-tower power, Greene is continuing the rich tradition of high school baseball in the San Fernando Valley. 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 the top overall 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 York Yankees), Anthony Gose (Bellflower HS, Detroit Tigers), Dominic Smith (Gardena Serra HS, New York Mets) and Marcus Wilson (Gardena Serra HS, Arizona Diamondbacks) while commuting to Compton to play in the Urban Youth Academy.
He carries a 3.5 grade point average and committed to 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, widely regarded as one of the most competitive in the nation. Greene batted .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 rich legacy in 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 Seattle Mariners and Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins were selected out of the school; Stanton is the highest paid player in MLB history.
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The Minnesota Twins will choose first in the June draft, 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.