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Riley Greene’s Hank Aaron Award Nomination Speaks Volumes
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- Riley Greene’s Hank Aaron Award Nomination Speaks Volumes
(USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
The Detroit Tigers finished 10 games under .500, posted a +71 run differential that ranked fourth-best in the American League, will most likely have the A.L.'s Rookie of the Year and have a hitter nominated for the Hank Aaron Award.
That right there should show you just how irrational baseball can be.
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Even with the poor team showing, there were massive success stories throughout the season. Most of the names that come to mind are attached to the slew of rookies who came through the doors.
Yet one veteran also deserves his flowers.
Riley Greene.
Greene was recently nominated for the Hank Aaron Award.
The Hank Aaron Award is given annually to the top hitter in each league, as selected through voting by fans and members of the media. The award was introduced in 1999 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Hank Aaron surpassing Babe Ruth's career home run record.
Greene finished the season hitting .280 over 139 games, good enough for 11th in the American League, just a couple of points ahead of teammate Kevin McGonigle, who hit .278.
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Greene's power was a bit of an underachievement compared to the bar he had set throughout his career. After hitting 24 home runs two years ago and a career-high 36 last year, Greene's power slipped back to 21 home runs this season.
But with the dip in power came more pure hitting.
Greene's .280 average was the second-best of his career, behind his .288 mark in 2023. His 71 walks also set a new career high and ranked tied for 13th in the A.L., second on the Tigers behind McGonigle's 95, which ranked fifth in the league.
However, one part of Greene's batting habits did not fade as much as the organization would have hoped.
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Greene finished the season with 157 strikeouts. Although that was 44 fewer than his career-high total last season, it was still the second-most strikeouts in a season of his career.
That decline in strikeouts was certainly welcomed by Tigers fans, but the hope that Greene can continue cutting into that number is what could take his offensive game to another level.
With the higher average and walk rate, Greene finished with a career-high .370 on-base percentage, good enough for ninth in the American League.
On top of that, Greene posted a .474 slugging percentage, which ranked 11th in the A.L. and marked another career high.
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Greene sometimes catches flak from bitter Tigers fans, but his stats speak for themselves.
The three-time consecutive All-Star will be looking for a new contract soon, and his Hank Aaron Award nomination is another reminder of just how valuable he has been to Detroit.
I don't expect Greene to win the Hank Aaron Award.
But the nomination itself speaks volumes.
And the city of Detroit should be listening.
