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Riley Greene Resurgence In 2025

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Drafted fifth overall in the 2019 MLB Draft , Riley Greene was a highly regarded high school prospect who was destined to make noise at the Major League level. Greene spent three years in the minors, batting around .280 with 30 career home runs. After 55 games at AAA, Riley Greene made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 2022, playing in 93 games and batting .253 with a .653 OPS.

Riley Greene Resurgence In 2025

It was a fairly underwhelming first season in Detroit for Greene, who had a 29% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate along with subpar defense. Expectations were high for the rookie, and it is very possible that the pressure got to him early on in his career. In Greene’s second year, all of his offensive numbers were up; however, he was still striking out at a 28% clip. Most notably, Greene’s average exit velocity went up from 89.5 mph to 91.6 mph, signifying he was able to put a bit more power behind his swing. This led Greene to double his home run tally from five to 11 in just six more games in 2023.

Riley Greene’s Progression

Year 3 of Riley Greene was what fans had been waiting to see for quite some time. Appearing in 137 regular-season games, Greene mashed 24 home runs and raised his OPS from .796 in 2023 to .827 in 2024. Not only did Greene’s OPS skyrocket in 2024, but his WAR also jumped from 1.9 to 5.4. A huge reason for the massive spike in Greene’s WAR was his batting run value, which was six in 2023 but 21 in 2024. A player’s discipline measures batting run value at the plate, as seen with Riley Greene, who increased his walk rate from 8.4% to 11% during that time.

 

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This year, however, Riley Greene has been exactly what the Tigers expected when they made him a top-5 pick back in 2019. Through 82 games this season, Greene has hit 18 home runs and driven in 62. He is currently on pace for 35 home runs and 120 RBIs, which would both be career-highs by a country mile. While Greene is striking out at a career-high 30% clip, he has increased his barrel percentage from 13.4% to 18.2%. This has led to an increase in home runs as well as doubles, with which he has 21 this season.

All-Star On The Horizon

With all the success Riley Greene has shown on the field, he has made it to the final stage of voting for the All-Star Game in Atlanta this year. If selected, this would be the first All-Star game of Greene’s young career. He currently leads the Tigers in AVG (.297), home runs (18), RBIs (62), SLG (.533), OPS (.882), and hits (94). His success at the plate is a huge reason why the Tigers find themselves tied for the best record in baseball with the Dodgers, 52-32.

 

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Amongst AL outfielders, Greene is third in batting average, second in doubles, tied for fourth in home runs, second in RBIs, and second in total bases (169).

At just 24 years old, Greene is quietly having a spectacular season and deserves to be starting in the All-Star Game for the American League on July 15th. His combination of plate discipline, contact, and power makes him an enticing candidate to start the game, and it allows for a “small market” team like the Detroit Tigers to get some love from the rest of the league.

Main Photo Credits: David Rodriguez Munoz / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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