California’s Chino HillsWhen Hunter Greene was a young player hoping to make it to the Major Leagues, he recalls playing on the backfields of Big League Dreams. The fiery right-hander for the Reds remembers it as a formative experience that helped him get to where he is now—an essential part of Cincinnati’s core of talent and an anchor of the rotation.

Hunter Greene on charity event

He organized Pro Day with Hunter Greene on Saturday at BLD in the goal of encouraging young people to pursue their own baseball careers. He gave out brand-new Nike cleats to children, posed for pictures, signed autographs, and made the day memorable all around.

Greene started his charitable work a long time ago.

Regarding the most recent cleat giveaway that he and his family have had over the last few years, Greene remarked, “It’s special, man.” It consistently improves. Since we’ve started doing this, it’s gotten much bigger. Being able to hold this role has been a blessing.

Greene’s sister and brother, Libriti and Ethan, as well as his parents, Russell and Senta, were involved in the events of the day, making it a family affair as well.

Regarding his family’s involvement, Greene remarked, “They’ve been a huge part of my life and any type of work I do off the field.” “My sister and brother arrived this morning at around seven o’clock to assist with boxing up the cleats and removing them from storage. Few people would take that action.

Enjoying the cleat giveaway, which had Greene interacting with athletes of various ages and abilities, who were all obviously thrilled to get Nike cleats and the chance to meet a Major League pitcher up close. It was exactly the kind of atmosphere that gamers need to grow to love the game.

Hunter Greene talks charity, Reds

Greene, the second overall pick in the 2017 Draft, was born and raised in Los Angeles. The entire Greene family believed that hosting this event at BLD was a full circle experience, despite the fact that Big League Fields in Chino Hills is around an hour distant from Los Angeles proper.

Senta was wandering the grounds when she suddenly remembered being at Big League Dreams, where Hunter had played sports on some of the fields (which are modeled like famous MLB ballparks like Wrigley Field and Tiger Stadium, among others).

Reds place a high value on becoming ‘part of your culture’ again.

With Full Circle Consulting Systems, Inc., a full-service consulting firm that specializes in child development, human development, and organizational development, Senta worked with her son on the event and described the tool as “incredibly powerful.”

“Watching all the young people come out and remember Hunter’s early travel ball experiences and also being a part of it, of this experience, is exciting,” said the speaker.

Senta asserted that from an early age, her son has had a great desire to give back.

According to Senta, “He really started his philanthropic efforts when he was this age, 8 years old.” One of the things we taught him was that even at eight years old, you’re standing on a platform. Even if it might not be as big as a Major League Baseball player’s, you still have a platform. Never underestimate the importance and power of making connections, being compassionate, and making an impact. And that is exactly what he is doing.

When Hunter was eight years old, he started a book drive for a cancer foundation. Many of the kids who took part in Saturday’s cleat giveaway were also eight years old. This sparked the fire that fueled his acute sense of altruism and elevated him to the status of 2023 Roberto Clemente Award nominee for the Reds.

Regarding the start of his philanthropic endeavors, Greene remarked, “Even at that age, it was such a good feeling.” You never know how big of an impact you’re having on other people, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to recognize that, and I’m grateful that I was able to do it even at such a young age. It seems like I’ve grown up with it from the beginning.

Greene emphasized his memories of playing on the fields owned by BLD.

“This was one of my favorite places to play,” he said. For many of these kids, this is the closest they will get to major league baseball until they are in stadiums like this one and can experience the atmosphere they give. It has always meant a lot to me.

A former Major League player who played parts of two seasons with the Angels and Phillies in the early 1990s, Kevin Flora, is currently the chief operating officer of Big League Dreams and feels that an event such as this will only improve the facility’s weekly game schedule.

“There’s some kind of major tournament every weekend — regional, national, local, etc.,” said Flora. However, it’s like heaven for us when you pair that with an amazing humanitarian event like Hunter’s cleat giveaway.

The key of being a player, in my opinion, is getting to the point where you have a platform to give back. Flora went on, “I get chills just thinking about it.”

Due to Big League Dreams’ distinctive design, several games can be played at once along the concourse, which also offers snack bars and on-site food options for players and their families to unwind and escape the action. Because of this, the stream of kids through the giveaway area varied throughout the event, with lines sometimes growing ten times longer as excited parents arranged photos of their young athletes with Greene.

Like her son, Senta brought up the hefty price of the baseball equipment required to play at a professional level. “Being able to put cleats on feet, that’s one of the things that we take a lot of pride in,” Senta stated.

The 24-year-old Hunter, who is preparing for his third Major League season, believed that he should launch more extensive charitable endeavors after beginning to give back at a young age.

Senta said, referring to some of the guidance she and Russell gave their young child, “You don’t have to wait to have a 20-year career.” “This is the appropriate time. If you want to make an impact, you must act now. You start out little and keep progressing with it.

Following the completion of another fruitful stateside cleat giveaway, Hunter anticipates more. Cleats for a Dominican Republic event in January are sponsored by top prospect Jasson Domínguez of the Yankees and Brewers Willy Adames.

“It’s cool to be on an international level and send some out to Dubai,” said Greene. “That was two years ago.”

Greene said following the event, “It’s just really special to be able to connect with so many different people and backgrounds.” “It has been fantastic.”

Adrian Garro joined MLB.com in 2016. Throughout his travels, Bartolo Colon and Vin Scully have each placed their hands on his shoulders. Not at the same time, though. That would be amazing.

Let’s see photo gallery:

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