Watching Edward Florentino launch baseballs into orbit last season evoked a familiar image: Detroit Tigers star Riley Greene.
Greene, coming off back-to-back All-Star seasons, most recently produced a 36-home run, 111-RBI campaign that earned down-ballot MVP consideration. Primarily a corner outfielder who can fill in at center, Greene is defined by one of the more distinctive swings in Major League Baseball. His violent uppercut, paired with a high, recoil-heavy finish that nearly smacks his back on the follow-through, is built to drive the ball in the air with authority (see: his 471-foot grand slam against Oakland last year. The approach is not without flaws. Greene led the American League in strikeouts and has occasionally battled on-base inconsistency, but he remains an impact bat on a contending club.
Florentino’s profile mirrors Greene’s in striking ways, and, in some respects, hints at even greater upside.
Like Greene, Florentino has climbed prospect rankings rapidly. Greene rose from the middle of Top-100 lists into the Top 5 before graduating; Florentino has already appeared as high as No. 21 and is gaining national attention as a potential superstar. Mechanically, the resemblance is clear. Florentino features a similarly steep, vertical swing plane and exaggerated finish, albeit with slightly less lower-half bend.
Physically, the two are built alike as well. Greene stands at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, while Florentino is an even longer 6-foot-4, 200 pounds. That extra height and frame suggest Florentino may still have room to add strength as he matures, potentially unlocking even more power without sacrificing the athleticism that already separates him.
The age-based comparison is particularly compelling. At 18 in 2019, Greene split time between rookie ball, Low-A, and A-ball, hitting five home runs with five steals in 57 games while posting a .271 average. Florentino, also at age 18 last season, played between rookie ball and A-ball and delivered a far louder stat line: 16 home runs, 35 steals, and a .290 average across 83 games.
These numbers should be viewed cautiously, as Greene’s true breakout came in 2021, when he slugged 25 homers with a .301 average between Double-A and Triple-A. And yet, the early comparison highlights a key difference. Florentino is the more explosive athlete. His speed adds another dimension to an already power-oriented offensive approach, giving him a wider margin for error and the potential to impact games on the bases. While Greene is not a major stolen-base threat, Florentino projects as a legitimate 30/30 candidate.
Greene’s swing characteristics are borne out in modern bat-tracking data. He recorded the highest “swing path tilt” in MLB last season at 45 degrees, reflecting an intentional effort to impact the baseball at a steep angle designed for lift and damage. That approach also produces aggressive intent through the zone, as Greene ranked among the league leaders in “competitive swings” and posted 92nd-percentile bat speed. Importantly, this is not purely an all-or-nothing profile; in 2023, with a slightly less extreme tilt (43 degrees), Greene hit .288, showing the adjustability within the same foundational mechanics.
Florentino’s swing operates on a similarly vertical axis, producing the same kind of loft-driven contact and high finish. If he can pair that extra-base approach with his superior speed and defensive value, the result could be a more dynamic version of the Greene archetype.
In other words, the Pirates may not just have a power-hitting outfield prospect. They may have a potential five-tool star in the making.
