| LAKELAND – The Detroit Tigers have selected outfielder Riley Greene from Hagerty High School (FL) with the fifth overall pick in the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Greene is an 18-year-old native of Oviedo, Florida, and measures in at 6-3, 200-pounds. He was recently named the Gatorade Florida Baseball Player of the Year, and was a finalist for the Gatorade National Player of the Year. “We’re very excited to select Riley with our first pick in this year’s draft,” said Scott Pleis, Tigers Director of Amateur Scouting. “He’s a dynamic outfielder with a large frame and loose swing from the left side, and really knows how to find the sweet spot in a repeatable way. He’s got what we call the ‘hit gene’ and matches his performance in the batters box with highlight-reel plays in the outfield on a regular basis. All of us in the Tigers Amateur Scouting Department are eager to see Riley reach his potential as he grows in our organization over the coming years.” Prior to his senior season, Greene was named a preseason first team All-American by Rawlings-Perfect Game. As a sophomore and junior, Rawlings-Perfect Game named him a first team preseason underclassman All-American, and a high honorable mention preseason underclassman All-American as a freshman. “Our goal coming into every draft is to take the best player on the board with all of our picks, and we’re certainly happy that a player with so much offensive potential was available for us with the fifth selection,” said Al Avila, Tigers Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager. “We’re looking forward to Riley joining our growing group of young position players that are moving quickly in our system during their development towards the Major Leagues.”In 2018, Greene started all nine games for USA Baseball’s 18U National Team at the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships, batting .424/.548/.848 and leading the team with three home runs and 20 RBI. |
