Khalil Greene Stats & Scouting Report

AB	2567
AVG	.245
OBP	.302
SLG	.422
HR	90

Full name Khalil Thabit Greene
Born 10/21/1979 in Butler, PA
Profile Ht.: 5'11" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Clemson
Debut 09/03/2003
Drafted in the 1st round (13th overall) by the San Diego Padres in 2002 (signed for $1,500,000).

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Baker was more heralded, but it's Greene who remains the frontrunner for Baseball America's 2002 College Player of the Year. Returning for his senior season after the Cubs drafted him in the 14th round last June, Greene has learned to extend his arms and hit for power. He batted .476-21-73 during the regular season, breaking several school and Atlantic Coast Conference records in the process. He has a good two-strike approach and is patient enough to take walks. While there's some thought he might lack the range to play shortstop as a pro, he maneuvers well there and has an accurate arm. At worse, he'll be an offensive second baseman. He fits the Athletics prototype and could be targeted by Oakland with one of its four sandwich picks.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Undrafted out of high school and a 14th-round pick as a college junior, Greene became a first-round pick as well as BA's College Player of the Year and the Golden Spikes Award winner in 2002. He breezed through the minors and became the first position player from his draft class to reach the majors. Greene has more ability to hit for average with gap power than most middle infielders. He doesn't have the speed or arm strength of a classic shortstop, but he has enough to handle the position. Add in his tremendous hands, quick first step and uncanny instincts, and he's the system's best defensive infielder. During his September callup, Greene showed that he still faces several offensive adjustments. He must make more contact and draw more walks to realize his potential as a No. 2 hitter. The Padres are comfortable making Greene their starting shortstop in 2004. He will have growing pains, and the Padres will protect him by batting him low in the order.
Greene was undrafted out of high school and a 14th-round pick of the Cubs after his junior season in 2001, but scouts finally began to believe in him last year. He won the BA College Player of the Year and the Golden Spikes awards, carrying Clemson to the College World Series semifinals. He signed for $1.5 million and had no trouble adapting to pro ball. All of Greene's tools are average or better, and he supplements them with excellent instincts. His bat speed, hand-eye coordination, pitch recognition and ability to adjust make him the best pure hitter in the system. He also has surprising power for his size. Scouts question whether he's a pure shortstop, but his hands, range, arm, first-step quickness and body control are all assets. Greene's range and arm earn 55 grades on the 20-80 scouting scale, which means they're above-average but not extraordinary for a shortstop. The Padres believe his total package will allow him to stay at short. His only drawback at the plate is that he makes contact so easily that he doesn't draw many walks. Ticketed for Double-A, Greene could be the first 2002 draftee to reach the majors, perhaps as early as this summer.

Minor League Top Prospects

Greene was BA's College Player of the Year in 2002 at Clemson, becoming the first senior to win the award since Casey Close in 1987. The Padres pushed Greene to Double-A to start his first full pro season, and he actually performed better in Triple-A before finishing the year in the big leagues. He didn't wow managers or scouts in his time with Mobile, particularly offensively. His hand-eye coordination, bat speed and savvy make him an above-average hitter, but he didn't hit for much power in the SL and also doesn't draw many walks. Though scouts have wondered if he can stay at shortstop, he impressed observers more with his defense, showing plenty of arm and enough range for the position. "He was hitting a soft .275 with us, but he was just starting to come around when he got called up," Mobile manager Craig Colbert said. "I thought defensively he was just as good as Hardy, and I like Hardy a lot."
Greene went from a 14th-round pick in 2001 to BA's College Player of the Year in 2002 to the big leagues by the end of 2003 by playing above his tools. It's not that he doesn't have physical ability, but he wrings more out of it than most players could. A line-drive hitter with decent pop, Greene can get pull-conscious and must improve his plate discipline at the major league level. He doesn't have exceptional speed but has a quick first step and is a heady baserunner. There was some question about whether he could handle shortstop without a plus defensive tool, but PCL observers believe in him. "He's absolutely a shortstop at the big league level," Portland manager Rick Sweet said. "Anyone who's seen him play on a consistent basis can see that. He's not an overly flashy type, but he has a magnet in his glove. He catches everything in the middle."
Greene's draft stock soared after he had one of the finest seasons every by a college shortstop, hitting .470-27-91 with 17 steals and just 14 errors for Clemson. BA's 2002 College Player of the Year had been overlooked after his junior season–drafted in the 14th round by the Cubs–before returning for his senior year. Greene has plenty of skeptics who don't think he can stay at short and think the Padres overdrafted him at 13th overall in June. "That's not what first-rounders are supposed to look like," one scout said. A baseball rat, Greene's tools aren't overwhelming but they grade out as average to plus across the board. "I'm not so sure that he doesn't have a half step to a step better than average range," another scout said. "He has first-step quickness and instincts. He can make throws off balance, off one foot or in the air." At the plate, Greene can drive the ball out of the park and uses all fields. He has outstanding bat speed and control. He understands the strike zone and makes consistent hard contact without sacrificing his aggressive approach.