Conner Greene


James Conner Greene is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization. The Toronto Blue Jays drafted him in the seventh round of the 2013 MLB Draft.

Professional career

Greene attended Santa Monica High School, where he posted a 1.63 earned run average and 76 strikeouts in his senior year, and was drafted by the Blue Jays in the seventh round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft. He had committed to play baseball at the College of Southern Nevada, but he chose to sign with the Blue Jays for $100,000 rather than attend. He was assigned to the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Blue Jays for the 2013 season, and pitched to a 1–1 record, 5.28 ERA, and 20 strikeouts in 30 innings. Greene split the 2014 season with the GCL Blue Jays and the Rookie Advanced Bluefield Blue Jays, and posted a 3–4 record, 3.03 ERA, and 51 strikeouts in 59 innings pitched.
Greene began the 2015 season with the Class-A Lansing Lugnuts, where he posted a 7–3 win–loss record, 3.88 ERA, and 65 strikeouts in 67 innings, before being promoted to the Advanced-A Dunedin Blue Jays. He debuted for Dunedin on July 4 and took the loss, allowing four runs on nine hits. On August 6, Greene set a career-high in strikeouts, with 10, while pitching seven shutout innings for Dunedin. He was then promoted to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, and took the win in his debut on August 13, pitching six shutout innings against the Akron RubberDucks. Greene made 26 starts in the 2015 season, posting a combined 12–7 record, 3.54 ERA, and 115 strikeouts in 132 innings.
Greene was invited to Major League spring training on January 12, 2016, and reassigned to minor league camp on March 10. Greene was assigned to the Dunedin Blue Jays to open the 2016 minor league season. He was promoted to Double-A New Hampshire in early July, and pitched his first career complete game and shutout on July 26, defeating the Harrisburg Senators 1–0. Greene made 27 total starts in 2016, and pitched to a 10–9 record, 3.51 ERA, and 99 strikeouts in a career-high 146 innings. After the 2016 season, the Blue Jays assigned Greene to the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League. He made four starts for Mesa and struggled with his control, walking 11 batters in 10 total innings. Greene spent all of 2017 with New Hampshire. In 132 innings, Greene went 5–10 with a 5.29 ERA and 92 strikeouts. He continued to struggle with his command, issuing 83 walks. On November 20, 2017, Greene was added to Toronto's 40-man roster.
On January 19, 2018, the Blue Jays traded Greene to the St. Louis Cardinals for Randal Grichuk. He began the 2018 season with the Double-A Springfield Cardinals and was promoted to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds in June. In forty games between the two clubs, he pitched to a 4-5 record with a 4.09 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. After the season, the Cardinals assigned him to the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League.
The Cardinals designated Greene for assignment on November 20, 2018. On November 26 he was claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Royals. He was designated for assignment on November 20, 2019.

Personal life

Greene is an avid surfer, and has also worked as a model. He is friends with actor Charlie Sheen, and made several minor appearances on the television series Anger Management.