Cincinnati Reds star Hunter Greene looking forward to watching one of his favorite pitchers

MIAMI –– In his free time, Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene watches other starting pitchers to see what he can learn from the way they pitch.

He gravitates toward pitchers with a similar profile as his. One of his favorites to watch is the NL Cy Young candidate with a 100 mph fastball who consistently throws seven-plus innings. Greene will see Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcántara pitch in person for the first time on Wednesday in the Reds’ series finale in Miami.

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“Man, there are so many things to like about him,” Greene said.

Greene first mentioned in June that he was hoping to talk pitching with Alcántara. Greene has been looking forward to this for a while.

When the Marlins traveled to Cincinnati last week, Greene made a point to meet Alcántara, who has the second-lowest ERA in MLB at 1.99 while leading MLB with 149 ⅓ innings. Alcántara was throwing a bullpen session on the day Greene was hoping to link up. They decided that when the Reds went to Miami, they’d have a longer conversation.

“I’m trying to find the little things that he’s able to do and pick little things up,” Greene said. “There might be that one nugget that really pushes me to the next level.”

Alcántara, an All-Star, is one of the only starting pitchers in MLB with a fastball anything like Greene’s. Alcántara averages a 98 mph fastball, and opposing hitters have a .190 batting average against the pitch.

Alcántara also has a powerful slider that he uses as his putaway pitch to get the third strike. With a 6-foot-5, 200-pound frame, Alcántara uses his athleticism to his advantage to maintain the velocity of his pitches throughout his entire start.

“You know what you’re going to get from him when he goes out there,” Greene said. “He’s going to dominate, or it’s going to be a quality start for sure. That’s what makes him one of the best. He’s consistent every time.”

Alcántara’s traits that Greene admires the most have nothing to do with his velocity. Greene appreciates how Alcántara mixes five pitches and seems just as confident throwing each of them. While Greene is still tinkering with his changeup, Alcántara has turned his changeup into his most-used pitch.

Another focus for Greene this season has been his routine between starts. Greene used to do more finesse training, including Pilates and sprinting, and prioritized maintaining his agility. Then after a slow start to the season, Greene started training like a “power pitcher,” using more weight training and a more aggressive throwing program.

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Alcántara’s routine is another element of his game that Greene admires and another reason Greene is looking forward to talking shop with one of the best pitchers in MLB.

“For me, the fact that he’s able to throw 180-to-200 innings, maintain his velocity and obviously be able to do well consistently like that, that’s every starting pitcher’s goal,” Greene said. “He’s doing it pretty much every time that he goes out, going eight or nine innings.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds star Hunter Greene admires Marlins' Sandy Alcántara