A native of
Springfield, Ohio, Green graduated from
Thomas Jefferson High School in
Denver, Colorado in 1988 and was named Gatorade National Player of the Year along with Dr. Pepper Colorado Athlete of the Year. The
Cincinnati Reds drafted Green as their 2nd pick out of high school, but he opted to attend
Wichita State (WSU) and play for
coach Gene Stephenson. As a freshman starter, Green helped the Shockers (68–16) to an
NCAA Division-I Championship. Earlier that year, Green was a member of the gold medal-winning
Team USA and was the MVP, beating
Cuba 8–1 with a complete-game 1-hitter, and at one point retired 17 straight Cuba batters in the
1988 World Junior Baseball Championship in
Sydney. His sophomore campaign was highlighted by a
no-hitter against
New Mexico. After his 1989 sophomore season, he played
collegiate summer baseball with the
Hyannis Mets of the
Cape Cod Baseball League, and received the league's “Outstanding Pro Prospect” award given by the coaches and pro scouts. As a junior, he earned First Team All Missouri Valley Conference, earned All-Tournament recognition and was named Most Outstanding Player of the 1991 MVC Classic. He ranked 7th in the nation in total strikeouts, with 134, and 17th in average strikeouts, with 10.4 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched. Green was chosen as the 10th pick in the first round by the
Philadelphia Phillies in the
1991 MLB draft. On the same day, at the
College World Series in
Omaha, Nebraska, Green stuck out 14 and combined with teammate Jamie Bluma to beat
Creighton 3–2 in a 12-inning duel that is still acknowledged as one of the best College World Series games in history. ==Professional career==