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From a team perspective, 2024 has been a very disappointing season for the Cincinnati Reds.
Before the season began, they were a trendy pick to win the NL Central, but they now find themselves muddled together with the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs, two other frustrating clubs.
Still, president of baseball operations Nick Krall has to be ecstatic about the step forward righty Hunter Greene has taken in his third season.
The 2017 No. 2 overall pick has gone from a tremendously gifted thrower of the baseball to someone who has a real shot to finish in the top five in NL Cy Young Award voting if he can shake off the elbow soreness that landed him on the IL on Aug. 17.
After posting a 4.62 ERA and 4.31 FIP in 46 starts between 2022 and 2023, Greene has a 2.83 ERA and 3.40 FIP across 24 starts this season.
In five second-half starts since his first All-Star appearance, the 25-year-old has been downright dominant, with a 3-0 record, 36 strikeouts and a minuscule 1.09 ERA, the lowest mark among qualified starters during that period. He leads the NL with a 5.4 WAR.