San Diego Padres: Cover Guy Could Fall to Padres in Draft

There is a chance that the San Diego Padres could be fortunate enough to end up with high school sensation Hunter Greene.

A high school kid with all the tools, as well as a brain and a heart, just might want to be a Padre. Some evaluators even call him the LeBron James of baseball picks or, almost as impressive, the next Bryce Harper. But, Hunter Greene has even more to offer, as he excels at shortstop and can reach 102 mph as a pitcher.

The 17-year-old just found himself on the cover of Sports Illustrated, thanks to an article written by San Diego native Lee Jenkins.

Greene recently decided not pitch for the rest of the season at Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks, CA. John Manuel of Baseball America suggests that Greene’s decision indicates he may want to drop in the draft, which occurs June 12-14, and allow the Padres to pick him in at at No. 3.

After reading Jenkins’ article, Darren Smith of the Mighty 1090 called Greene a “Renaissance kid.” A good student at Notre Dame, he also finds time for Yoga, plays the violin and loves to paint. One of three children, he helped his sister Libriti through the two years she spent in the hospital battling leukemia.

“Sometimes he slept on the pullout, sometimes on the floor, sometimes on two chairs facing each other,” writes Jenkins. “When Libriti grew weary of all the shots, he climbed in her bed.”

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For Greene, San Diego would be a good fit as he’s a Southern California kid and favors the pitching approach of the Padres. Despite his rumored preference, the Minnesota Twins or Cincinnati Reds may draft him anyway on the assumption he won’t turn down an opportunity to start his big league career.

Of course throwing 102 mph at such a young age can be a double-edged sword, but Greene has worked with arm-care expert Alan Jaeger since he was 7 years old. At the age of 6, Greene, who is African American, decided he’d wear No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson.

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Hunter Greene would be a welcome sight at Petco Park wearing that number for the San Diego Padres.