Tyler Greene gets a fresh start

Sometimes a change of scenery helps a player so much that it becomes necessary. Whether pressure or injures, getting out of an organization can be the fresh start a ball player needs to find his true potential. Look at Jose Bautista and Melky Cabrera, both found new homes and became all-stars and important pieces to their club’s puzzle. Jeff Luhnow made an interesting move this week in acquiring Tyler Greene. He gambled that his initial thought, when he drafted him, was correct and Greene was meant for success. The beauty of the move was that it won’t cost the Astros much at all so the gamble is minimal but the reward could be very interesting.

The Astros have Jose Altuve and Jed Lowrie patrolling the middle infield positions but why not bring in a wild card. You never know, injuries and performance can often be tricky so Greene may just be the type of player that could make decisions necessary sooner than expected. Rumors have swirled around the club for a few months that certainly Lowrie and maybe even Altuve could be had for the right group of prospects. If Greene can begin to live up to his potential, it could make it a lot easier to move either guy. That said, even after a couple of impressive games, it will require quite a few more big performances to convince me that Greene could replace either one.

Greene has put up very good numbers throughout his minor league career so whatever Luhnow saw in Tyler can be seen. We have even seen a glimpse in his first two starts. Good pop and defense along with strikeouts, lots of them, might be the best case scenario and that’s okay. Looking at the club currently, especially without Lowrie, needs pop. What if all Tyler needed was a chance of scenery? What if he turns out to be our Jose Bautista or Melky Cabrera? He probably won’t, simply because the odds aren’t with him but the potential is there. The Astros have very little to lose in trying to spark something within Greene, something the Cardinals had been unwilling to wait for any longer. The Cardinals are going for their second straight world championship while the Astros are trying to avoid a second straight 100 loss season, very big difference in pressure. Maybe it was pressure or maybe he just needed out of St Louis, whatever the case may be, Greene will get his shot to become what Luhnow thought he’d become with he drafted him in the first round of the 2005 MLB draft.