Two Out Barrels

Riley Greene says baseball showcases can actually hurt some of the best players because they measure tools more than who can really play “Showcases are a different animal when it comes to baseball, in my opinion. The way that I was taught was, hit balls as far as you can. That’s not really the reality of things in this game.” “You go to these showcases and they get ten swings, they throw a ball across the infield, they run a 60, they play a scrimmage, and it doesn’t really show much, in my opinion, because there are some guys that are gamers.” “Like, I was a gamer. I could hit some pull-side homers, but I had a super below-average arm. I still do. I wasn’t the fastest. I could hit, that was it. A lot of guys are gamers, and those showcases kind of hurt them more than they help them.” “Once we got into games, I would rake and do all these things to show them that I’m a gamer. But there are guys that ran the fastest 60 ever and hit the most homers and did this and did that, and they aren’t even in baseball anymore or didn’t even go to college for baseball. That’s why I think scouts are getting better and better, because they understand what these showcases are. They know what to look for, what to expect, and how to project people.” “Bobby Witt Jr., I came up with him. He could run fast, jump high, hit the ball far. He could do all those things. He still can. But when he got into games, it was like, ‘Whoa. Okay. Now we see it.’”