HAL MCCOY: Yes, Hunter Greene deserves the hype
He’s already been on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and there is talk he could be a transcendent star off the field as well.
Of course, the trouble with the hype around the MLB draft is those players are almost never going to be able to help their big-league club in the short term.
While the 17-year-old isn’t going to be a Red anytime soon (assuming, of course, he signs with the team before today’s 5 p.m. deadline), but when might he make his Dayton Dragons debut?
If history is any guide, Dayton fans can expect to see Greene at Fifth Third Field next season, but this year is not out of the question.
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Since the franchise moved to Dayton in 2000, six Reds first-round picks have played for the Dragons the same year they were drafted.
Five of them were college players, a group that includes 2016 No. 2 overall pick Nick Senzel, who tore up the Midwest League last year and is already in Double-A now.
Then there’s Chris Gruler…
A California high school phenom like Greene, Gruler was the No. 3 pick in the 2002 draft.
He signed immediately and was sent to the Gem City the same year he was drafted — after making just four starts for the Billings Mustangs in rookie ball.
Should Greene appear in Dayton this season, everyone involved will no doubt hope that is where the comparisons to Gruler end.
Arm troubles torpedoed his career, limiting him to 25 professional starts.
He never made it past Dayton.
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