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Background:
Shane Greene, a right-hander from Clermont, Florida, has been in the Yankees' farm system since 2009 when the team drafted him in the 15th round out of Daytona Beach Community College. Greene, 25, features a four-seam fastball that sits mostly between 92-94 mph, but he can get it up to as high as 97 mph. He also possesses a two-seam fastball, which helped him record a 47% ground-ball rate last year, that sits more in the low-90's. As for breaking and off-speed stuff, Greene uses a slider as his main out-pitch and also has a change up that is improving.
2013 Results:
Combined between High-A and Double-A: 27 games (26 starts), 154.1 IP, 3.38 ERA, 3.04 FIP, .725 opp. OPS
It took a while for Greene to get going, as the righty pitched to a 4.80 ERA and 3.82 FIP (4.4 BB/9) in his first 78 games (64 starts) and 341.2 innings through his first four years in the Yankees' organization. He always seemed to have the stuff to succeed at a high level, but his results never quite matched up. However, Greene's 2013 was, by far, his best year in the system.
Greene split his 2013 between two levels, starting with High-A Tampa, where he pitched to a 3.60 ERA and 2.57 FIP (1.2 BB/9) through 13 starts and 75 innings pitched. He was then promoted to Double-A Trenton in mid-June, where he continued to pitch well, posting a 3.18 ERA and 3.49 FIP (2.3 BB/9) through 14 games (13 starts) and 79.1 innings pitched. He finished 2013 by making two postseason starts for the eventual Eastern League Champion Trenton Thunder, allowing just two runs across two starts and 11 innings pitched. It wasn't just the results, in terms of ERA, that finally made Greene an interesting prospect; it was his lack of walks (1.7 BB/9), and newly-found ability to attack the strike zone, that puts him on the prospect map.
2014 Outlook:
Although he pitched well in Double-A, Greene will most likely start 2014 back in Trenton. However, if he picks up where he left off last summer, he will get a promotion to Triple-A Scranton before too long. Greene was added to the 40-man roster by New York, so there's obviously a chance he can sneak onto the big league team, even if it's just as a seldom-used September call-up. There's also a chance Greene may end up as a reliever when it's all said and done, but if he continues to impress like he did in 2013, the Yankees may end up with a useful (back-end) starter in the not-too-distant future.
