Living in San Diego for the better part of eight years, I got a chance to watch Khalil Greene come out of Clemson University and become arguably the best shortstop the Padres had seen since Ozzie Smith.
In 2004, his first year as a starter for the Padres, Greene hit .273 with 15 home runs, and 65 runs batted in. But it wasn't his offense that fans came to enjoy, it was his incredible highlight-reel defensive plays.
Greene went on to hit 15 home runs in each of his first three seasons (2004 to 2006), but it was in 2007 that he became a star.
He launched 27 home runs that year, driving in 97 and posting his best fielding percentage (.984) since coming up to the big leagues.
The one thing Greene was having problems doing was staying healthy, especially down the stretch, when the Padres needed him most.
In back-to-back years, a broken finger on his throwing hand forced him to miss the last few months of the season.
It was starting to wear on the Padres' front office. They needed someone they could count on, someone who would be with the team through the stretch run.
The last injury became the last straw for the Padres, as Greene hurt his hand punching one of the water jugs after striking out.
On Dec. 3, 2008, the Padres officially parted ways with Greene, trading him to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Mark Worrell and another prospect.
While in St. Louis, Greene complained of a social anxiety disorder and had to be put on the 15-day disabled list twice during the 2009 season, playing only 77 games while with the Cardinals.
On Jan. 9, 2010, Greene signed a one-year deal worth $750,000 with the Texas Rangers. But just days before he was to report to spring training camp, news broke that Greene would not be reporting and was taking an indefinite leave of absence.
The Dallas Morning News reported on Tuesday that the Rangers were going to move on as if Greene would not reporting to the team at all in 2010. A message above Greene's locker read "The Rangers aren't planning on Greene, who is battling Social Anxiety Disorder, to report to the club any time soon, if at all."
Whether Greene returns to baseball is unknown, maybe even to himself. I enjoyed watching him play the game during his time in San Diego, but if this disorder is going to keep him from playing like I know he can, then maybe it's time he walks away from the game.
It's not fair to the team that signs him to be waiting for him to make a decision, and it's not fair to himself to try to do something he's not capable of doing.
Greene needs to get himself right; he needs to figure out what his future is before he returns to the game.
I wish him the best and I hope he can get back to the kind of player he used to be. Baseball needs more athletes like Khalil Greene, and no matter where he ends up, or even if he returns, he's still one of the best shortstops I've seen in a long time.
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