18 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED | SI.COM
SCORECARDFACE S
IN THE
CROWD
EXCUSE THE comparisons, but
Elijah Green might be that good.
IMG Academy national team coach
Dave Turgeon—the one person who
watches the outfielder’s raw talent on
the diamond every day—likens Green
to a stockier Deion Sanders and a
taller Bo Jackson. The son of former
Pro Bowl tight end Eric Green, Elijah
grew up playing both football and
baseball but fell out of love with his
father’s sport four years ago after his
AAU team suffered a stinging defeat
in the national title game.
His joy for baseball, and the
signature crack that accompanies
each of his seemingly effortless home
runs, has never wavered. Green’s
earliest memory of that sound was
when he was 8. A decade later, he
led the U.S. 18U National Team
in homers and RBIs with a.
slugging percentage last summer.
“I hit a home run in Little League,
and that was probably the happiestELIJAH
GREEN
Hometown: Windermere, Fla.
Date of Bir th: Dec. 4, 2003
Sport: Baseball
Position: Outfielder
Bats/Throws: RightPhotograph by JEFFERY A. SALTER