DUNEDIN, Fla. — No Major League center fielder made more diving catches last season than Riley Greene. As George Springer’s fly ball floated into shallow left field Tuesday, Greene — who started in left during the Tigers’ 6-4 loss to the Blue Jays — thought he had a chance at his first of 2023.
His nine in 2022, much like his leaping grabs at the fence, bailed out several Detroit hurlers. Of course, they also potentially take a toll on his body.
“I mean, if you dive correctly and make smart choices about when you’re diving, you should be fine, in my opinion,” he said before the game. “There were some where I dove that I probably shouldn’t have, because it was stupid, but that’s just playing hard.”
To Greene, there’s a technique to diving to mitigate the impact.
“Trying to dive as low to the ground as possible so you don’t hit so hard,” he explained, smacking his hands to demonstrate. “And then, when you do hit the ground, just try to ‘Superman’ so you slide instead of flop.”
By “Superman,” he means spreading out like he’s flying. It’s apparent on many of his diving catches last year.
His attempt to get under Springer’s loft wasn’t quite as graceful, nor was it successful. However, he bounced to his feet quickly enough to throw out Springer trying to take second base, an out that Matt Wisler needed in a tough Tigers debut.
The pitcher — whoever is on the mound — is a reason why Greene dives on the ground and leaps into walls. It’s why he doesn’t want to change the style, injury risk notwithstanding.
“My goal is to get that pitcher back in the dugout as fast as possible,” Greene said. “He’s working his butt off on the mound trying to win a baseball game, and any way I can help, I’m going to help.”
Nor are the Tigers trying to get Greene to change. The moment a team tells a player not to go all-out for everything, a ball drops in that might have been caught with reasonable effort. The middle ground is difficult to find.
“We don’t want a timid Riley Greene,” manager A.J. Hinch said, “so we’re not going to coach him that way.”
That said, there are plays on which Greene could play safer.
“Balls over my head, kind of close to the wall,” he said. “Maybe I dove and I could’ve went face-first into the wall, that kind of deal. Just being smart about when and when not to do it.”
Greene said he could also work on his jumps, though he ranked in the top quarter of outfielders last year according to Statcast. His reaction time was well better than average, and his jump was 1.3 feet above average.
One unexpected help is the Pitchcom system. Catchers and pitchers wear it to relay signs, but a few defenders — usually up the middle — are also allowed to wear earpieces. Knowing the pitch that is coming can often help Greene anticipate where it could be hit.
“Once you start playing against these guys more and more, you know what they’re going to do,” he said. “And when you know what pitch is coming, in what spot, they’re good enough hitters to hit the ball where it’s pitched.”
Though Greene played left field Tuesday and likely will get other games in the corners this spring, he is Detroit’s center fielder. The rotation allows Hinch to get other players time in center; Matt Vierling started there Tuesday.
Greene has the potential to develop into the kind of center fielder that is becoming a lost art. As The Athletic noted Tuesday, just five players last year posted a 101 OPS+ or better and a 0.1 defensive bWAR or higher while playing at least 100 games in center: Mike Trout, Julio Rodríguez, Michael Harris, Brandon Nimmo and Cedric Mullins.
Greene just missed. He finished with a 99 OPS+, and his 0.5 defensive bWAR came in just 93 games. He’d like to change that this year.
“I feel like there’s pride in being able to do it defensively and offensively,” he said. “That’s a big part in what we do. You have to work just as hard defensively as you do offensively. …
“Center fielder is the man out there. That’s the guy who takes over. Wherever I’m going to be [in the outfield], I’m going to play hard.”