Tigers’ Riley Greene Sees Ranking Slip in MLB Top 100 Right Now Ranking
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The Detroit Tigers' youth stepped up in a big way last season, led by former first-round pick Riley Greene at the plate. Greene put together another strong season for the Tigers, hitting a career-high 36 home runs and notching his first Silver Slugger Award at season's end.
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Detroit's slugger had a notable flaw in his game throughout the season: strikeouts. He struck out 201 times, leading the American League in this category. This issue ultimately affected Greene's ranking in MLB Network's Top 100 Players Right Now.
Riley Greene Ranked 57th
Last night, MLB Network revealed Greene to be the 57th-best player in Major League Baseball entering the 2026 season, dropping three spaces back from where he ranked last season. The decrease isn't prominent, but signs indicate that the strikeouts are bringing him down a few spots.
At the end of the day, Greene is one of the best hitters in the Tigers' lineup. He finished 17th in MVP voting, became an All-Star for the second year in a row, played in a career high number of games (157), set a career high in doubles (31), and drove in 111 RBIs.
His WAR wasn't as good as it was in 2024, and that shows in his ranking. It also must be mentioned that climbing and falling in the rankings is very normal, especially as players all across the league improve. Making this list or falling a few spots isn't anything the Tigers should worry about.
The Splits Tell the Story
Going into the new campaign, Detroit looks to win the AL Central division for the first time since 2014, something they should have done last season but ultimately ended up blowing. One way they can achieve that is by staying consistent throughout the entire year, not just the first half.
The Tigers took a massive step back in the second half of the season as a whole, and it also affected Greene at the plate. In the second half of the season, Greene had a .218 AVG, .279 OBP, .415 SLG, and .694 OPS with 12 home runs, 10 doubles, 19 walks, and 76 strikeouts.
If Greene can return to how he played in the first half of 2025, which he had a .284 AVG, .336 OBP, .544 SLG, .879 OPS with 24 home runs, 78 RBIs, 21 doubles and 27 walks, Detroit should be in a place to contend for the central division title again.
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Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.