Written by Greg Fertel | 17 April 2007

Yeah, I needed to use the 'Wright' pun. I mean, Jaret's been gone for a few months now. I've missed it. Chase Wright will pitch for the Yankees tonight against Cleveland. Wright was added to the 40-man roster over the offseason along with Jeff Kennard and Bronson Sardinha so that they would not be exposed to the Rule V draft. He was not added with the intention of using him as a depth starter over non-Rule V eligible Phil Hughes, Tyler Clippard, Ross Ohlendorf, Steve Jackson, or Matt DeSalvo. However, with Chien-Ming Wang, Jeff Karstens, Carl Pavano, and Mike Mussina (How many other teams could keep their head above water after losing 4 of their top 6?), the Yankees decided to call him up. We can talk about other options later. Regardless of their existence, Wright is starting in New York tonight. What can the Yankees expect out of Wright tonight? I think there are three possible scenarios:

• The TINSTAAP theory: Wright has been dealing since the begining of 2006. He's figured something out, and is a better pitcher than he was during the other 5 minor league seasons which he played some part of. Based on performance, Wright just might be a pretty good pitcher. His stuff in spring training was excellent. For TINSTAAP people, the stuff is mostly all that matters. He'll keep the Yankees in the game, though he'll give up a few runs. 5 IP, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K or so.
• The conventional theory: Wright is grossly unprepared for major league hitting. He's faced just 47 AA batters (although he's gotten 16 to ground out and 19 to strike out). He's going to be nervous and certainly not in command. The Yankee bullpen gets a major workout tonight.
• Chase Wright is in a zone right now, and he transfers that ability from AA to the majors. He dominates, pitching something like 7 IP, 2 ER, 6 K, 1 BB. Don't count on it.

I'm not saying that #1 is impossible, but I'm leaning toward #2. #3 is a lot closer to impossible than #1. Wright's stuff may have evolved to a point that he is in fact good enough to make the jump from AA, but even if so I'm not sold on his nerves. That's a big rise for a player, and only the Tim Lincecums of the world have the kind of stuff to make the quick jump without major bumps. I'll be watching intently (on MLB.tv with a bad internet connection...) tonight, and I hope that my pessimism is wrong. Also, just a thought, but wouldn't this be a great audition for Wright as a trading piece toward the deadline? We're going to need a 1st baseman at some point this season.

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