Greene has had many changes in his career

I don't think a week passes that I do not get asked about former Evans High School star Todd Greene.

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Since graduating from Evans in 1989, Greene has lived a baseball odyssey of sorts. So it is no wonder that the casual fan has had a tough time catching up.

Greene was drafted by the Braves after his senior season but chose to play college ball at Georgia Southern. Well, that move proved to be one of the best of his career.

Greene left Georgia Southern as the best player in school history. He finished with 88 career home runs, good for third place on the all-time college list, and he was a three-time All-American.

After his senior season he was drafted by the California Angels. (He was also drafted by St. Louis after his junior season, but did not sign).

After signing with the Angels, Greene had quite a ride. He was the 1995 Minor League Player of the Year and a three-time Minor League MVP. In 1995, he also became the first person in a decade to hit 40 homers in a season.

He then played 10 seasons in the big leagues.

However, people still would ask, "What's Todd up to?" I fully understand the question. Greene played for seven different major league teams: California, Anaheim, Toronto, New York, Texas, Colorado and San Francisco. (He also signed contracts with San Diego and Los Angeles but did not reach the major league level with those teams).

This obviously made it tough for the casual fan to keep up with Greene, especially when you throw in the various minor league stops since Greene signed his first pro contract in 1993. Here is a list of the 12 minor league teams Greene suited up for during the years: Boise, Lake Elsinore (twice), Midland, Vancouver (three times), Edmonton, Dunedin, Syracuse, Columbus, Las Vegas, Oklahoma, Frisco and Colorado Springs

Despite all those stops, few things have changed for Greene -- especially his love for his family and his love for baseball.

Now, a new job will work out just fine for both. After retiring as a player last season, Greene was offered an opportunity to stay in professional baseball as a scout for the San Diego Padres. In January, the Padres signed Greene to a contract.

That doesn't mean he will be watching high school and college players to determine their "draftability."

Instead, Greene is watching pro players in other organizations. This gives teams information on players who might become free agents or might be available through a trade.

Greene also is getting to be with his family a lot more. He and his wife, Vanessa, and their three children live in Alpharetta, Ga., and Greene is covering teams around the Southeast.

He keeps tabs on players in the Carolina League (Class A) and the Southern League (Class AA), which means he will be logging plenty of miles on the highway, but he will also be close to home.

Greene knows baseball and he is one of the most competitive people I have ever known.

These two facts lead me to believe he will be great at his new gig.