Why Riley Greene’s Mental Adjustment Could Boost His 2026 Performance
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Enough has been said about Detroit Tigers outfielder and two-time All-Star Riley Greene over the last few seasons. At the end of the day, this guy is the future of the franchise, and he's already making his impact felt through four seasons at the Major League level.
Greene finished in the Top 20 last season in MVP votes on the back of a 36 home run, 111-RBI season, leading Detroit in both categories. However, he also led the Tigers and the entire American League in a crucial category that places a blemish on his success at the plate: strikeouts.
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Striking out 201 times last season, Greene became the first Tigers player in the history of the franchise to strikeout more than 200 times in a season. And while he did say last season that he doesn't care about the strikeouts, he's had a clear shift in approach and mindset heading into 2026.
Riley Greene’s New Approach at the Plate
MLB.com's Jason Beck joined the MLB Network crew to discuss Greene's new approach at the plate. Earlier this offseason, Greene revealed he approached the plate thinking he could hit a home run every time, but his mind has begun to slow down and think critically, given the situation.
"Not just getting BP (batting practice) down the middle, and hitting there; his hitting instructor changed the outlook on him, gave him some borderline pitches, gave him some pitches he would have to know how to take and changing that mentality," Beck told MLB Network.
When Greene made contact last season, it was hit very hard, but according to Baseball Savant, his contact percentage was down to 24.6%, the lowest in his MLB career. Now, imagine if he does carry this mentality into the new season, while maintaining his power numbers? Detroit has a slugger on its hands.
If Greene can limit the strikeouts this season, his numbers will surely improve and could elevate him into MVP talks, which he's been a part of the last few seasons. It would also help solidify Greene as the Tigers' most professional hitter, which currently resides in the hands of Gleyber Torres.
Last season, you could tell that when Greene was on, the rest of the team was on. This specifically showed in the Tigers' playoff games against the Cleveland Guardians and Seattle Mariners, in which strikeouts took over seemingly every at-bat.
There is 40 home run power in his bat, but in the position he finds himself in right now, making the best contact possible and not trying to send every ball to the moon will improve his game overall and help the Tigers win more games as a result.
Detroit will need Greene to be present and play more than 150 games this season again for the best chance of getting back to the playoffs for the third season in a row, as well as winning the American League Central division for the first time since 2014.
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.