Shane Greene Finding His Niche In The Bullpen
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
Carving out a role on an MLB roster is no easy thing. There's the obvious requirement of top-notch talent, but also the challenge of harnessing that talent, of figuring out how to apply it within a team concept.
Take Shane Greene, for example.
An imposing right hand pitcher with a power arm, Greene came to the Tigers before the 2015 season as part of a three-team trade with the Diamondbacks and Yankees. He felt like quite the pick-up for Detroit at the time, fresh off a terrific rookie season in New York.
But Greene struggled mightily after a hot start to the year, and was sent down to Triple-A Toledo in June. He was recalled a month later only to be sent back down a month after that. He would end the season on the disabled list.
To his credit, he worked his way back to full health and claimed a spot in the starting rotation coming out of Spring Training in 2016. But Greene instantly ran into the same issues that had tripped him up a year prior, surrendering too many hits and issuing far too many walks. A blister on his right middle finger promptly sent him to the DL, although Greene likely wasn't long for the rotation, anyway.
So it was back to the trainer's room for Greene and then back to the Minor Leagues, his presence felt only in game programs and media guides: *Shane Greene: 15-day D.L.
But Greene, buoyed by what catcher James McCann calls a "bulldog personality," once again fought his way back onto the Major League roster. Only this time, the now 27-year-old began working out of the bullpen.
Through three appearances since June 4, Greene has taken to his new role with aplomb. In 3.2 innings, he has allowed just two hits, one run, one walk and has struck out six. He has worked 1-2-3 innings and pitched out of jams, showing the versatility – and the eagerness – to pitch in any situation. He logs less time on the mound than he used to, but once again Greene resembles that promising pitcher the Tigers acquired in 2015.
Manager Brad Ausmus hasn't been shy in calling Greene's name in higher-leverage situations. He asked the righty to protect a pair of late-game leads against the White Sox over the weekend and Greene answered the call, picking up two holds in the process. Then, on Tuesday night, Greene was able to keep the Blue Jays at bay – albeit while allowing a run – while the offense tried to solve Aaron Sanchez.
"We kind of thought since he came back that he might be able to pitch [late in games]," Ausmus said. "So far, so good."
From an execution standpoint, the key for Greene has been his ability to record strikeouts. On Tuesday, he helped starter Matt Boyd escape a first-and-third, one-out jam, and then pitched out of more trouble the ensuing inning, utilizing a mid-90's fastball and a sharp slider to keep batters off balance.
"He does have the stuff to get strikeouts and that's the one thing that makes a reliever so good, especially a late-inning reliever," said McCann. "You don't see a lot of late-inning relievers who don't get strikeouts. It's tough to be called upon in a situation with runners in scoring position and no outs or one out, but the fact that he's able to get strikeouts is a big advantage."
But in explaining Greene's recent success, McCann placed a bigger emphasis on his mental makeup.
"He's got good stuff – there's no question about that – but the biggest things for me is his mentality. You see when he gets on the mound coming out of the bullpen he's just got tunnel vision, like nothing else matters. He's got that shutdown-type mentality," McCann said.
Second baseman Ian Kinsler agreed.
"He just loves to pitch," Kinsler said. "He's not really concerned about the situation he's put in, he just wants to get outs and he wants to play, and I think he's got a great mentality for the bullpen."
Greene came to the Tigers as a starting pitcher, but he may well make his name as a reliever. As Ausmus said, "So far, so good."
