Bill Mitchell's Minor League Ramblings

Minor League Ramblings For the week of :
April 7, 2003

Interview with Khalil Greene
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Minor League Ramblings is produced by Bill Mitchell for Minor League Watch.

Greene looking like a future star for Padres
April 7, 2003

Looks can be deceiving when it comes to San Diego Padres infield prospect Khalil Greene.

Khalil Greene

With his clean cut looks, bright blue eyes and blond hair sticking out from under his baseball cap, Greene looks just like the "boy next door." But inside is an intense, focused professional baseball player considered to be one of the top prospects in the game.

Greene's loose-fitting Padres uniform makes him look undersized compared to his teammates, yet the 5'11", 200 pound infielder is especially powerful and muscular for a shortstop.

Drafted in the first round (#14 overall) in last summer's free agent draft, many baseball observers believe that the Clemson University product may be the first of the 2002 draft class to make it to the major leagues, perhaps as early as this season.

Greene certainly came to the professional game with solid credentials. He shattered many of the Clemson and Atlantic Coast Conference records during his four-year stay at the South Carolina school, and was presented with awards for both the top amateur baseball player and the premier collegiate player in 2002. Upon leaving Clemson, Greene was named one of the 50 greatest players in ACC baseball history.

One would think that with a résumé like that of Greene's, the Key West, Florida high school product would face undue pressures coming into the professional game. Not so, according to Greene.

"I don't have to go out and prove anything," he replied. "I think I put expectations on myself that will probably far exceed anything the club could hope I do. I just go out there every day and do what I need to do. I don't worry too much about what's expected."

Greene, whose first name means "friend of God" in the Bahai faith, of which he and his family are members, wasn't intimidated by the professional game in his first summer after signing a $1.5 million contract with San Diego. The 23-year-old right-handed hitter batted .270 in a short ten game introduction to the Padre organization with the short season Eugene Emeralds of the Northwest League.

Khalil Greene

The Padres challenged Greene by moving him up two levels, to the high A California League, for the remainder of the 2002 season. He thrived on Cal League pitching, hitting .317 with nine homeruns and 32 RBIs in 183 at bats for San Diego's Lake Elsinore affiliate.

Greene was rewarded with an invitation to the big league camp for 2003. He believes that spending a month with the major league team was a valuable learning experience.

"It's just good to be around that type of environment," said Greene, "to see what you need to do to be a successful major league player ... there was something positive to take from it."

While learning from them, Greene really wasn't in awe of the major league players. "Everybody was nice," he said. "They're just normal people like anybody else."

Greene doesn't believe that there's any one part of his game that needs improvement over any other, stating, "I think just consistency in all aspects of the game is all anyone shoots for." He continued, "As long as I can be consistently offensively and defensively, I should have a productive time."

Assigned to Class AA Mobile for the start of the 2003 season, Greene is not concerned right now with how quickly he moves through the system.

"I'm just going out there and, wherever I'm out, hopefully I'll be successful." he said, "Whether that be in Mobile for the whole year or for part of the year, it really doesn't matter to me."

Greene concluded by saying, "I just want to go out and have a good time and be productive." Spoken like a man comfortable with his abilities and with his life.

--- Bill Mitchell