One glimpse of Phillies first-round draft pick Larry Greene Jr. and immediately one understands what the term country strong means. Out of Nashville, Ga. and listed at 6-foot-1, the 18-year-old outfielder is as wide as he is tall with coat-rack shoulders and a linebackers build.
Then again, Greene, appeared to have a pretty big future ahead of him as a linebacker. Had he not agreed to the 1 million offer from the Phillies just before the signing deadline, Greene had a full scholarship waiting for him at the University of Alabama where he could have been the next great All-American from the famous football school.
But Greenes first love is baseball. Even though his father, Larry Greene Sr., was a pretty well-known football player in Nashville, Ga., too, Greene always wanted to be a baseball player. Come Friday morning when he jets from Philadelphia to Clearwater, Fla., Greene will become a professional baseball player.
It was an anxious feeling, Greene said during his first visit to Citizens Bank Park. I wanted to get started. Im ready to go now.
I love to play.
First, he had to make the rounds at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday and got his first look at Philadelphia (Its bigger, he said about Philly. I like bigger.) He also got to meet some of the Phillies players while watching batting practice behind the cage with manager Charlie Manuel.
Call two lefty power hitters talking baseball.
MLB
I got to meet Hunter Pence, he was funny, Greene said. Jimmy Rollins was funny, too. They were all cool.
As the 39th overall pick in the June draft, could have started his career sooner had he been able to come to an agreement on a contract. However, by waiting Greene was able to get a little more than what MLB suggests for a player in the No. 39 slot.
Nevertheless, Greene wont be doubling as a football player anytime soon. A broken ankle on the gridiron as a junior made him give up the sport.
I was like, Maybe I don't need to be playing this no more, Greene said. But I was always a baseball fan, and I just played football to stay in shape for baseball.
Apparently football did the trick because Greene is pure power. In fact, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Greene has, game-changing power, while area scout Aaron Jersild knew Greene was his man after watching just one swing.
His tools just jumped out, Jersild said. He has tremendous raw power. As a scout thats hard to find.
After batting .562 with 19 home runs for Berrien County High in Nashville, Greene says he most needs to work on his defense where the Phillies project him to be a leftfielder. Director of scouting Marti Wolever says it will be full-speed ahead for Greene from here on out where he will likely see some game action this fall in the Instructional League.
As for when Greene will be back to Citizens Bank Park, well, thats up to him.
E-mail John R. Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com.