As has been the case since he first came up to the big leagues, Khalil Greene‘s play in the first half of 2006 was good but inconsistent. Although he showed improved patience and power at the plate, Greene also struggled to keep his batting average above the Mendoza Line. A late surge (.438/.486/.719 in 32 AB this month) has given him some breathing room in that area — perhaps one of the fruits of new hitting coach Merv Rettenmund’s efforts?

Greene’s walk rate (.095) is just about where it was in 2004, and his AB/HR continues to improve (25.9 this year, compared to 29.1 in 2005 and 32.3 in 2004). Basically Greene has built on the power gains he made last season and re-established the plate discipline he had two years ago and lost last season. [Update: Richard Wade points out that Greene is drawing more unintentional walks this year than he did in 2004] He leads NL shortstops in home runs and RBI. He’s third in SLG but that’s mainly because his batting average is so low. Greene actually leads in ISO (.190). He’s also in the top 5 in SEC and P/PA.

On defense, Greene has been more reliable than ever. He doesn’t seem to make as many highlight reel plays as he used to — or maybe I’ve become desensitized — but this is one aspect of his game that has grown more consistent. Some of this can be attributed to his having a legitimate first baseman in Adrian Gonzalez, and some to Greene’s own development as a player. He is making the transition from spectacular to steady. The downside is that Greene’s range factor continues to drop and has, in fact, plummeted to the bottom of the pack, below that of even Derek Jeter. I don’t know that this is cause for panic, but it certainly isn’t very aesthetically pleasing.

Bottom line? If Greene can continue along the path to consistency, we could be in for a treat. As it stands now, we’ve got one of the better shortstops in the game playing here. He tantalizes with glimpses of even greater things. Whether those ultimately will be displayed on a more regular basis remains to be seen.

Grade: B