Ogden Raptors center fielder Gage Green is the hottest hitter in the Dodgers minor league system as the 2015 winds down. The claim he is the hottest hitter in the system perhaps would have to be shared with Willie Calhoun of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, but nevertheless Green’s bat is on fire and right in the middle of the Raptors playoff run.

Green was born and raised in Wichita Falls, Texas where he attended Rider High School. At Rider he was coached by his father, Scot Green, and pretty much rewrote the Raiders record book as he helped lead his school to the 2011 UIL State Championship.

Gage Green admits that playing for his father more or less kept his nose to the grindstone:

”You know that you need to take care of your business,” Gage said. “In high school, I knew that I couldn’t afford any mistakes in the classroom and stuff like that ‘cause he’d be the first one to find out and the first one to let me know I needed to start doing better, so he really helped me get to where I am today and has helped me become a good student and a good teammate.”

Following his high school graduation he wanted to stay relatively close to home so he looked carefully at the academic and baseball programs at both the University of Oklahoma in Norman and Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee also expressed an interest in Green.

He chose OSU and has never regretted his decision. In an interview with Nathan Ruiz, Assistant Sports Editor at O’Colly Sports, Green explained why he chose Oklahoma State. In short what moved him in that direction was the Cowboys’ grit and toughness.

“When I came here (on my visit), I just got the sense that the players were a tough, gritty bunch,” Gage said. “I liked the atmosphere of it. … When I thought of Oklahoma State and what it kind of represented, I always got that sense of a bunch of tough, gritty individuals, and I really liked that about it.”

The Dodgers found yet another gold nugget when the selected Gage Green in the 35th round of the 2015 MLB First Year Player Draft. He was the Mike Piazza-esque 1,062nd overall pick.
(Photo courtesy of the Ogden Raptors)

At OSU Green had solid but not spectacular numbers. He hit .292 for his career with 11 home runs, 29 doubles, nine triples and 86 RBIs. He started 188 of the 209 games in which he played , had 204 hits, collected 56 stolen bases, ranked second on the team in sacrifice bunts (36) and is fourth on OSU’s all-time list being hit by pitch with 44.

What stood out perhaps more than his actual play during games was his drive and desire, his never give up attitude while his versatility made head coach Josh Holliday’s job so much easier.

“His team-first attitude and willingness to play other positions makes it easier for other guys to see and say, ‘Hey, having versatility is good for the team,’” Holliday said. “It gets contagious and it spreads.

“Gage is a special kid,” Holliday said. “… He’s a winning person. He’s done so much for the team for the third straight year. His presence and his competitiveness and the way he’s lived his life off the field, those things are all hard to measure, and they’re all very special.”

During his final year Gage Green was a candidate for the Senior Class Award, honoring senior student-athletes based on the attributes of community, classroom, character and competition.

As his senior year progressed Green, having fulfilled his dream of playing college ball, began to think about professional baseball and a new dream was born.

During his college career he split his time between catching and playing the outfield. Green – who bats left- handed and throws right-handed – was told he would be drafted as a catcher. He was selected as a catcher on the third day of the 2015 First Year Player Draft by the Dodgers with their 35th round pick, 1,062 overall.

Green explained to J. Scott Russell of the Times Record News , that he was not around to see his drafting moment.

“My girlfriend and I went out to get something to eat,” he admitted. “While we were out she started getting texts congratulating me on getting drafted. I didn’t know when it happened.”

True to character Green expressed his gratitude for being drafted and laid out his game plan.

“I’m going to be open to everything they want me to do,” Green said. “I’m just going to go out and work as hard as I can and play until I can’t play anymore.”

Green reported to the Arizona League Dodgers on June 20th and did not find immediate success batting .206 through his first 12 games with one run batted in. Following two 2-hit games he was promoted to the Ogden Raptors of the rookie level Pioneer League on July 10th. With the AZL Dodgers he had caught four games, played eight games in the outfield and served as a DH twice.

The 5’ 10”, 190 lb Green had two hits in his first game as a Raptor and has continued to hit raising his batting average to .349 with a 4-hit game on Sunday. In 44 games in the Pioneer League he has four home runs along with 13 doubles, 29 runs batted in, 28 runs scored and a .418 OBP.

However, that is just part of the story. In his last 10 games Gage Green is hitting .455 with 11 runs, 13 runs batted in and three home runs. During that span he has hit in all 10 games with seven multiple hit games while stealing three bases.

He has been behind the plate for only three games with the Raptors while spending the rest of his time in the outfield having played all three outfield positions. It now appears he has settled into center field and he definitely plays an aggressive center field chasing down balls at times that seem uncatchable and charging hard on ground balls preventing runners from taking an extra base. In the last two games his alert play has resulted in a double play and a play in which he hit the cut off man that resulted in an Orem out at the plate.

Gage Green couldn’t have picked a better time for his bat to catch fire. The Raptors are in a dead heat with the Idaho Falls Chukars for a Pioneer League playoff spot.

Manager John Shoemaker is making use of Green’s hot bat and aggressive play on the bases by having him hit in the lead off position and it has paid big dividends. In the Raptors last three games they have scored 28 runs – seven of those by Green – while he has led the way with nine hits and three walks.

That OSU “grit” has definitely come to roost in Ogden and just at the right time.