Greene was simply too good for Class AA. Seven starts, five wins, no losses, 41 innings, 27 hits allowed. Sixty strikeouts, 1.98 ERA. Nice knowin’ ya, son. Hope you liked Chattanooga.
In an age when pitchers are speed-rushed to the majors, sitting in first-class atop a radar gun and a thumb drive filled with every statistic known to man, Greene makes the words “fast’’ and “track’’ seem ponderous. As a lark, I asked David Bell on Wednesday if it were possible we’d see Greene at the Small Park this summer.
I expected the Reds manager to chuckle and say, in his mannerly way, “Uh, probably not.’’
Instead, Bell said, “I don’t think that’s unreasonable for any guys’’ in Triple-A. “He’s definitely getting close.’’
A story:
In 2006, Reds fans already were clamoring for the call-up of 20-year-old Homer Bailey. The Reds hadn’t developed a good starting pitcher since about 1869. Bailey was as close as they were going to get. Wayne Krivsky, the club’s general manager at the time, refused their clamorings. He didn’t like the idea of calling up to the majors an unfinished pitcher who might have to be sent back down to the minors.
