LAKELAND, FL – Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene made the All-Star Game in each of the past two seasons, but he spent the offseason working on a new approach at the plate by employing a different approach to training.
Fewer “feel good days” in batting practice while hoping to produce even better days in games.
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“Stop trying to hit a home run on every pitch,” Greene said.
That’s the new philosophy in 2026.
In 2025, Greene hit a career-high 36 home runs. But he had a franchise-record 201 strikeouts.
He knows he needs to cut down on the strikeouts. So, instead of spending the offseason jacking homers in batting practice off easy pitches, he tried to make it significantly harder. He forced himself to take bad pitches – or at least ones on which he couldn’t do damage.
Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene high-fives teammates at practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.
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“Not as many feel-good days, as we like to call them,” Greene said.
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Feel good days, as he calls them, are when he takes batting practice and the ball is grooved down the middle.
“We hit a bunch of homers and feel good about ourselves,” Greene said.
But nothing is really gained.
So, Greene asked personal hitting coach Jered Goodwin to crank up the pitching machine velocity, and he faced a bunch of nasty pitches: fastballs and curveballs and high pitches and balls outside of the zone.
“So I can take pitches and make it super-competitive,” he said.
Greene also wants to focus on situational hitting.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers infielder Jace Jung practices as third base coach Joey Cora watches during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers infielder Jace Jung practices as third base coach Joey Cora watches during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers outfielder Jahmai Jones bats at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Casey Mize throws at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers special assistant to the general manager Alan Trammell, left, talks to president of baseball operations Scott Harris as they watch practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers infielder John Peck watches practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
From left, Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, special assistant to the general manager Alan Trammell, president of baseball operations Scott Harris and general manager Jeff Greenberg watch practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers infielder Jace Jung practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Bailey Horn practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Beau Brieske practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Phil Bickford practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tanner Rainey practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Konnor Pilkington practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Framber Valdez walks off the field after practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Keider Montero walks off the field after practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Casey Mize throws at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Casey Mize throws at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers infielder Colt Keith bats at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers senior advisor to the president and general manager Scott Bream, left, and special assistant to the general manager Alan Trammell watch practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Casey Mize throws at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter bats at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Casey Mize, left, shakes hands with catcher Tomás Nido after live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Enmanuel De Jesus throws at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres bats at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Enmanuel De Jesus throws at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Ty Madden throws at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Ty Madden throws at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers infielder Hao-Yu Lee, left, and second baseman Gleyber Torres, watch live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Ty Madden, left, shakes hands with catcher Thayron Liranzo after live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Enmanuel De Jesus throws at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers infielder John Peck practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers outfielder Jahmai Jones smiles at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Enmanuel De Jesus throws at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers infielder Hao-Yu Lee walks off the field after live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Enmanuel De Jesus fist bumps catcher Eduardo Valencia after live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers infielder Hao-Yu Lee, left, and interpreter Peter Lin walk off the field after practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers infielder Hao-Yu Lee signs autographs for fans after practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
A Porsche GT3 RS is seen parked outside at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers outfielder Trei Cruz bats at practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers infielder Max Anderson practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers infielder Max Anderson bats at practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Drew Sommers practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Bryan Sammons practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Ricky Vanasco practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers High-A bench coach Cole Roberts watches practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Matt Seelinger practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers infielder Jace Jung practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers special assistant to the general manager Alan Trammell talks to players at practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
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Detroit Tigers pitchers, catchers roll on in Day 4 of spring training
Detroit Tigers pitcher Dylan Smith practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
“If you have two strikes with a runner on second, maybe try not to hit a homer 5,000 feet or so,” Greene said. “Taking a step back, letting the game slow down, recognizing the situations. Obviously, there are points where you can take your shot, and there’s points where, let’s maybe choke up and do some work in the box.”
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Tigers manager A.J. Hinch wants Greene to improve every season – without obsessing over it.
“Everybody is circling the strikeouts and the swing-and-miss,” Hinch said. “He takes a lot of attention for things that are imperfect, and I just don’t want the good that he does to get overlooked. He’s been an incredible offensive player with room for improvement.”
Detroit Tigers left fielder Riley Greene (31) hits against the Seattle Mariners during the bottom of the second inning of ALDS Game 4 at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025.
Can he improve?
Of course.
But Hinch doesn’t think Greene needs to make huge changes.
“I wouldn’t overhaul anything if I’m coming off two pretty successful seasons,” Hinch said.
Contact Jeff Seidel at jseidel@freepress.com or follow him @seideljeff.
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For (spring) openers: Yankees
Matchup: Tigers (87-75 in 2025) at N.Y. Yankees (94-68 in 2025), Grapefruit League opener.
First pitch: 1:05 p.m. Feb. 21; George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, Florida.
TV/radio: None.
Regular-season opener: March 26, 4:10 p.m.; at San Diego Padres, Petco Park.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Riley Greene has new approach with new training to cut strikeouts