2011 MLB Draft: Philadelphia Phillies Select Larry Greene with 39th Selection

On Sunday afternoon, I posted a piece here on Bleacher Report that summarized just how much of a mystery the draft strategy of the Philadelphia Phillies was heading into the first round on Monday evening, and when all was said and done following the Supplemental Round, that was still the case, as the draft crew wrapped things up with more curiosities than answers.

Heading into Monday, it was rumored that the Phillies were interested in building some depth at their weakest points in the Minor Leagues—catcher, middle infielders and left-handed pitching—but when the 39th overall selection of the 2011 First Year Player Draft came to pass, the Phils’ didn’t select a player from any of the above positions.

Instead, the team of scouts, led by director Marti Wolever and general manage Ruben Amaro Jr., selected a high school outfielder out of the state of Georgia who’s bat was just too good to pass up on. In somewhat of a surprise selection, the Phillies picked the only player to be in attendance at Studio 42, the left-handed outfielder out of Nashville, Ga., Larry Greene.

On one hand, the selection isn’t much of a surprise. Wolever in on the record say that if push came to shove, he would take the best player available in the draft when the Phillies selected with their 39th pick, which was compensation for losing Jayson Werth. So as it turns out, taking the talented outfielder was almost appropriate.

With Domonic Brown and Jonathan Singleton being the most recent examples, the team has not shied away from drafting left-handed bats with the athleticism to play in the outfield, though Singleton has recently moved back to first base. So even with a number of highly touted left-handed arms and a very nice catching prospect still on the board, the Phils’ went with the sweet, raw left-handed swing of Greene.

Standing at 6’1″, 225 lbs., Greene was easily the biggest high school outfielder to go thus far in the draft, and as MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki pointed out in an interview with Wolever, it’s no surprise to hear the Phillies’ scouting director call Greene a “man amongst young men.”

In the same interview, Wolever compares Greene to Singleton, saying that although the former is likely to hit for more power, the stroke and bat speed are comparable.

The high school outfielder isn’t going to win any Gold Gloves on defense, but he projects as an average corner outfielder, most likely in left field for the Phillies, should things go as according to plan, and even then, he’ll probably play better defense than Raul Ibanez is right now. (Zing!) Regardless of his defensive ineptitude, this guy is going to make his money at the plate.

In his latest season of high school baseball, Greene destroyed local competition. He posted an average well above .500, slugging 19 home runs, 11 doubles, a triple and even stole 13 bases. It isn’t hard to see where his power comes from, just looking at the guy, and he projects to hit for big time power at the major league level, drawing comparisons to another slugger and former Phillie, current member of the Los Angeles Angels, Russell Branyan.

Wolever wasn’t happy with that comparison, however. He thinks that Greene is a much better overall hitter than Branyan and expects him to make much better contact than Branyan, who is a career .233 hitter.

For Greene though, he was just happy to be picked to play baseball, and Spencer Fordin of MLB.com had him covered. It was an emotional moment for Greene, who’s mother passed away just last year.

“I knew this is what my mom wanted me to do. She got what she wanted,” he said. “Words can’t explain it. It’s a blessing. I’m happy to have my dad and family behind me. I thought I was going to be a Brewer, but I’m happy to be a Phillie.”

And the Phillies are happy to have Greene in their outfield mix for the distant future. Though they’ve never been a team that has shied away from the player they want because of sign-ability issues, it sounds like Greene is ready to begin his career playing professional baseball, and moreover, will begin said career with the Phillies.

“I’m going to go home and think about it,” said Greene on his probability of signing with the Phillies, “but more than likely, I’m going to play pro baseball.”

I’m personally a huge fan of this selection by the Phillies. Looking over Greene’s swing, I’m surprised he fell into the compensation round but pleased that he did. The thought of having both he and Brown playing the corner outfield spots for the Phillies way into the future is an interesting thought, and with the way this system develops pitching, it is picks like this that keep the Phigtin’ Phils’ on top.

As always, I’ll be following the draft well into days two and three, so stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all of the latest draft news regarding the Phillies!

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