{"id":32887,"date":"2019-06-09T13:57:47","date_gmt":"2019-06-09T17:57:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/?p=32887"},"modified":"2019-06-09T13:57:47","modified_gmt":"2019-06-09T17:57:47","slug":"todd-greene-catching-up-with-the-slugging-backstop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/2019\/06\/09\/todd-greene-catching-up-with-the-slugging-backstop\/","title":{"rendered":"Todd Greene: Catching Up with the Slugging Backstop"},"content":{"rendered":"

Certain skill sets can get a baseball player noticed a lot more quickly than others. One of those is power, as that\u2019s something that can\u2019t be taught. One of the best slugging prospects in the last half-century was\u00a0Todd Greene<\/a>, who had the benefit of also being a catcher, which made his dangerous bat all the more coveted and helped him go on to an 11-year major league career.<\/p>\n

The right-handed Greene was a prospect right out of high school, getting drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 27th<\/sup>\u00a0round in 1989. He declined to sign and went on to Georgia Southern University instead. The St. Louis Cardinals rolled the dice and drafted him in the 14th<\/sup>\u00a0round in 1992 after he had three very productive years, but he returned to school to finish his senior year.<\/p>\n

He wound up hitting a whopping 88 home runs and driving in 257 runs in 240 games while a member of the Eagles. The California Angels, recognizing such production, picked him up in the 12th<\/sup>\u00a0round in 1993.<\/p>\n

Listed at 5\u201910\u201d and 195 pounds, Greene didn\u2019t necessarily look the part of a hulking slugger; he just let his bat do the talking when it came to that. After hitting 15 home runs in short season ball in 1993, he hit another 35 in 1994 and 40 in 1995.<\/p>\n

With little left to prove in the minors, the Angels brought up Greene in the midst of the 1996 season. He hit a home run in his\u00a0second big-league game,<\/a>\u00a0blasting a long two-run shot off\u00a0Brian Williams<\/a>\u00a0of the Detroit Tigers.<\/p>\n

With his bat much more of an asset than his glovework, Greene settled into a career as a backup catcher and pinch hitter. It was a role he was well suited for. Over the course of 11 seasons with the Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants, he hit a combined .252 with 71 home runs and 217 RBIs in 536 games.<\/p>\n

Years later, he continues to work in the game as a scout. Keep reading for his memories of his time in baseball.<\/p>\n

Who was your favorite player when you were growing up, and why?:<\/strong>\u00a0Dale Murphy<\/a>. I was a Braves fan, so he was naturally my favorite player.<\/p>\n

What did you do to celebrate after being drafted and signing?:<\/strong>\u00a0No celebration. I worked my tail off to be the best player I could be.<\/p>\n

How did you find out that you had first been called up the big leagues, and what was your reaction?:<\/strong>\u00a0I was actually in Arizona getting ready for the Fall League when\u00a0Ken Forsch<\/a>\u00a0called my home in Georgia. This is before cell phones. My sister got the message about 3:00 AM and I was in Anaheim about seven hours later.<\/p>\n

What do you remember most about your major league debut (against the Detroit Tigers)?:<\/strong>\u00a0Just being in the big leagues for the second time was awfully rewarding. I remember having my 1st at bat against\u00a0CJ Nitkowski<\/a>, who is now a good friend of mine. \u00a0I got my first hit versus Richie Lewis in my second at bat. I was called up in 1995 but did not get in a game.<\/p>\n

In your opinion, who was the most underrated player you ever played with or against, and if you are feeling bold, is there anyone you can think of who was overrated?:<\/strong>\u00a0Garret Anderson<\/a>\u00a0is the most underrated player I played with and against. There are several overrated players, but I\u2019m not touching that one.<\/p>\n

What is your favorite moment from your baseball career?:<\/strong>\u00a0Catching the first pitch from President George W. Bush before Game 3 of 2001 World Series.<\/p>\n

Which of your teams was your favorite, and why was that?:\u00a0<\/strong>The New York Yankees. Their fan base is great and made me feel like a part of the team immediately.<\/p>\n

Who was your favorite coach or manager, and what made them your choice?:<\/strong>By far my favorite coach was\u00a0Don Zimmer<\/a>. Smartest baseball guy I\u2019ve ever been around. Even though he was only my manager for a short time,\u00a0Marcel Lacheman<\/a>\u00a0was my favorite manager.<\/p>\n

What, if anything, would you have done differently in your baseball career?:<\/strong>\u00a0I have no regrets, but would\u2019ve trained differently to try and ensure I\u2019d stay healthy.<\/p>\n

What are you up to today?:<\/strong>\u00a0Special assignment scout for the Arizona D-Backs.<\/p>\n

Andrew Martin is the founder of\u00a0\u201cThe Baseball Historian\u201d blog<\/a>\u00a0where he posts his thoughts about baseball on a regular basis. You can also reach him on Twitter at\u00a0@historianandrew<\/a>\u00a0or on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He has also authored a number of books (eBook and paperback) on baseball that are\u00a0available on Amazon<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Certain skill sets can get a baseball player noticed a lot more quickly than others. One of those is power, as that\u2019s something that can\u2019t be taught. One of the best slugging prospects in the last half-century was\u00a0Todd Greene, who had the benefit of also being a catcher, which made his dangerous bat all the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":798,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t