| Rick Greene | |
|---|---|
| Relief pitcher | |
| Born: (1971-01-02)January 2, 1971 (age 55) Fort Knox, Kentucky, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 19, 1999, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 19, 1999, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Record | 0-0 |
| Earned run average | 4.76 |
| Strikeouts | 3 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Richard Douglas Greene Jr. (born January 2, 1971) is an American former right-handedMajor League Baseballrelief pitcher who appeared in one game for theCincinnati Reds in 1999. He was listed as 6'5" and 200 pounds.
Prior to playing professional baseball, Greene attendedCoral Gables Senior High School and thenLouisiana State University. In 1990, he playedcollegiate summer baseball with theBrewster Whitecaps of theCape Cod Baseball League.[1] He helped lead LSU to victory in the1991 College World Series.
Originally drafted by theNew York Yankees in the 14th round of the1989 draft, Greene chose not to sign. However, when he was chosen 16th overall in the1992 draft by theDetroit Tigers, he did sign.
He competed in the1992 Barcelona Olympics, so he did not play professionally that year. He began his professional career in 1993, splitting time between theLakeland Tigers andLondon Tigers. In a combined 49 relief appearances, he went 4–5 with a 6.33 ERA. In 1993, he was ranked the sixth best prospect in the Tigers organization byBaseball America. In 1994, he split the season between the Lakeland Tigers andTrenton Thunder, going 1–5 with a 5.64 ERA in 39 games. That year, he started the only two games of his professional career and he was ranked the fifth best prospect in the Tigers organization by Baseball America.[2] He also earned the first save in Trenton Thunder history that season.[3] He showed a marked improvement in 1995 while pitching for theJacksonville Suns. For them he went 6–2 with a 3.49 ERA in 32 appearances. He again pitched for the Suns in 1996, going 2–7 with 30 saves and a 4.98 ERA in 57 appearances and earning an All Star berth. In 1997, he played for theToledo Mud Hens, going 6–8 with a 2.83 ERA in 57 games. On November 20, 1997, he was traded withMike Myers andSantiago Perez to theMilwaukee Brewers forBryce Florie and cash.
Greene spent only one season in the Brewers farm system - 1998. Pitching for theLouisville Redbirds, he went 6–6 with a 3.51 ERA and 18 saves in 58 games. He was granted free agency on October 15.
Signed by the Reds on February 9, 1999, Greene went 5–7 with a 3.69 ERA in 61 appearances for their Triple-A minor league affiliate theIndianapolis Indians. He made his lone big league appearance on June 19 of that year, against theMilwaukee Brewers. Coming to relieve forRon Villone (who lasted only 1/3 of an inning because he gave up six earned runs), Greene pitched 52⁄3 innings, allowing seven hits, four runs and three earned runs while walking one batter and striking out two. He gave up a home run to the first batter he ever faced,José Valentín and his ERA for the game was 4.76.
Granted free agency on October 10, 1999, Greene was signed by theMinnesota Twins and began the 2000 season with theSalt Lake Buzz. For them he went 2–2 with a 5.81 ERA in 22 appearances. He then wound up in the Reds organization again, appearing in 32 games for theLouisville RiverBats, going 4–4 with a 2.82 ERA in 32 games. Overall, he went 6–6 with a 4.04 ERA.
He wrapped up his professional career in 2001, pitching for theBaton Rouge Blue Marlins of theAll-American Association. An All-Star, he led the league that year with 21 saves.
In 2014, Rick Greene was Southern University's baseball pitching coach in Baton Rouge, LA for head coach Roger Cador.
Greene started the2 Seam Dream charitable foundation in 2012 after both his father and step-father were diagnosed with cancer. The 2 Seam Dream Foundation raises awareness for cancer research and supports healthy living and patient recovery.[4]