Hunter Greene
A flame-throwing pitcher whose 100+ mph fastball made him a coveted MLB prospect and a cornerstone for the Reds' future.
Born 1999 (age 27)·American baseball player·Birthday: August 6·Generation Z
Biography
Hunter Greene's baseball story has been written in radar gun readings and high expectations since he was a teenager in Southern California. Touted as a once-in-a-generation talent, he was a two-way star in high school, dazzling as both a shortstop and a pitcher with a fastball that already touched triple digits. The Cincinnati Reds selected him with the second overall pick in the 2017 draft, viewing him as a franchise-altering arm. His path to the majors required patience, overcoming Tommy John surgery, but his debut in 2022 was an event. Greene immediately established himself as one of the hardest-throwing starters in the game, regularly overpowering hitters with his electric fastball while refining his secondary pitches to become a mainstay in the Reds' rotation, embodying both the power and promise of modern pitching.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Hunter was born in 1999, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Hunter Was Born
The biggest hits of 1999
#1 Movie
Star Wars: Episode I
Best Picture
American Beauty
#1 TV Show
ER
Hunter's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1999Born
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2004Started school
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2012Became a teenager
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2015Could drive
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2017Could vote
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2020Turned 21
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 27 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Was selected 2nd overall by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2017 MLB Draft, one of the highest picks for a pitcher.
- Made his MLB debut on April 10, 2022, as the Reds' Opening Day starter by season's end.
- Recorded a 20-strikeout game in the minor leagues in 2021, showcasing his dominant stuff.
- Regularly ranks among MLB leaders in average fastball velocity, often exceeding 100 mph.
Did You Know?
He was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a 17-year-old high school senior with the headline 'Baseball's Chosen One'.
In high school, he was also a highly regarded hitting prospect and played shortstop when not pitching.
He is of Jamaican descent through his mother and has expressed pride in his heritage.
“I've always had that confidence in myself, knowing what I'm capable of doing.”
