2025 Fantasy Baseball: Hunter Greene Profile, Preview, Predictions
Hunter Greene aced 2023 for 80% of the season, and his next step is off-the-chart special if he can make 32 starts. He brings electric pitches and the gas to fuel a Cy Young Award. His early ADP in the high-stakes market screams value in any fantasy format.
SP – Hunter Greene, CIN (ADP – 95.7)
The dream of Green being a helpful fantasy arm in 2023 never materialized. Over his first two starts, he allowed five runs, 16 baserunners, and one home run over eight innings with 13 strikeouts. He pitched like an ace over his subsequent four appearances (1.80 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 27 strikeouts over 20.0 innings). His bad days outweighed his good over his following eight stats (4.57 ERA, 1.301 WHIP, and eight strikeouts over 45.1 innings).
Green missed 63 days over the summer with a hip injury. He kicked fantasy teams in the Jimmies over his first two games back in action (13 runs, 23 baserunners, and five home runs over 6.2 innings). His stuff was the best of the year over his next four contests (four runs, 18 baserunners, and 35 strikeouts over 24.0 innings). Green drove the bus home with two more poor showings (11 runs, 19 baserunners, and three home runs over eight innings).
After battling home runs (43 – 1.6 per nine) over his first 237.2 innings with the Reds, Greene solved this issue (0.7 per nine) in 2024, leading to electric success when on the mound. He was up and down over his first five starts (4.55 ERA, 1.301 WHIP, and 36 strikeouts over 27.2 innings). Besides two bad games (13 runs, 17 baserunners, and two home runs over 10.0 innings), his right arm was a beast over 115.2 innings (2.41 ERA, 0.951 WHIP, .169 BAA, and 126 strikeouts). Unfortunately, Greene suffered a right elbow injury in mid-August, leading to a trip to the injured list and only two more appearances (one run, seven baserunners, and seven strikeouts over seven innings).
His fastball (97.8) remained electric. Greene mainly relies on his four-seamer (55.3% - .181 BAA with 102 strikeouts) and slider (35.2% - .163 BAA with 59 strikeouts) while adding a split-finger fastball (.231 BAA) last season. He continues to be a fly-ball pitcher (48.3%), but his HR/FB rate (6.9) was well below his first two seasons (16.1% and 14.3%).
Fantasy Outlook: If Greene didn’t have the injured elbow blemish on his 2024 resume, he would be the smash arm to chase this draft season. His best two pitches are elite and will be even better with improved command. Adding a split-finger pitch offers difference-maker upside when ahead in the count and more development time. In spring training, I expect Greene to be a big mover up draft boards. I can’t dismiss that his power and high-volume slider lead to a second TJ surgery down the road. A swing-for-the-fences type pitcher in contests with an overall prize.
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Paul Skenes Profile, Preview, Predictions
With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.