Written by Greg Fertel
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11 June 2007
- Age: 24
- Height: 6'2"
- Weight: 205 lbs
- Acquired: Drafted 3rd round in 2001 out of High School
- Position: Starting Pitcher
- Throws: Left
Scouting Report: Wright throws his fastball 89-91 mph, and good downward movement and a little bit of deception on his delivery. His best pitch is his changeup, thrown at 78-80 mph with a lot of life. Wright had struggled before 2007 to develop a good breaking pitch, but finally figured out a slurvey curveball and used it to great success in Trenton. When he's working well, Wright has good control, but will sometimes nibble and get into trouble. Wright used to throw harder, but injuries and control problems forced him to settle into that 89-91 mph range.
History: Drafted all the way back in 2001, Wright had a bumpy journey to where he is today. For the better part of four years, Wright battled terrible control problems, posting BB/9s well above 5.00. After spending much of 2003 and 2004 injured and ineffective, Wright slowed it down and started to improve his control. His BB/9 lowered to 4.31 in 2005 and 3.23 in 2006. He blossomed during the 2006 season, pitching 119 2/3 innings between the bullpen and rotation with an ERA of 1.88. He was the best pitcher in the Florida State League. The Yankees added Wright to the 40-man roster in order to shield him from the Rule V draft in November, and sent him to Trenton following spring training.
This Season: Wright started the season off spectacularly, pitching 20 innings in 3 starts for Trenton, allowing just 9 hits, 2 runs, and a 3 walks while striking out 25. The Yankees, in need of a starting pitcher, called him up to Majors, where he pitched well in his first start before allowing four home runs in a row to the Boston Red Sox. Wright was sent down to Scranton, pitching effectively with bad peripherals for the first few weeks. He pitched into the 7th and 8th innings in his first four starts, but has struggled with pitch count problems and too many walks since.
Outlook and Movement: Wright will no doubt spend the rest of the season in Scranton. He's slowly adjusting to the level, which should be expected considering how quickly he rose from A ball. This has overall been a very good season for Wright, salvaging his hopes of making the major leagues as a starting pitcher. I still believe that Wright has a future as a very good left handed reliever, but the door is not shut on starting yet. In 2006, he posted a K/9 of 10.4 and a GO/AO above 3.00 against left handed batters. The test for Wright will be control: can he keep his walk rates down while starting?
Ranking: I ranked Wright here because I think that he's a near-lock to contribute to the major league team long term in some way, shape, or form. The thing is, I don't see him as a starting pitcher in New York. As a lefty, Wright would have a lot of trade value even he straightens it all out at AAA. Otherwise, Wright's future in New York is as a 6th man or lefty reliever. The Yankees just have too many better guys in their system to hand Wright a spot without a bunch of injury. In a relief role, I really think that he can excel. I see Wright as a Scott Eyre type (when he's pitching well) in the majors, and he things work out well enough he could even give us similar production to what we saw out of Mike Stanton, and he'll be ready for that role by September. If the Yankees want it bad enough, they'll have a replacement for Mike Myers on hand for next season.
