Kyle Wright (baseball)

Kyle Wright
Wright with the Gwinnett Stripers in 2018
Kansas City Royals – No. 30
Pitcher
Born: (1995-10-02) October 2, 1995 (age 29)
Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 4, 2018, for the Atlanta Braves
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Win–loss record24–16
Earned run average4.45
Strikeouts267
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Kyle Hardy Wright (born October 2, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves. He played college baseball at Vanderbilt University. He was selected by the Braves with the fifth overall selection of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft, and made his MLB debut in 2018.

Early life

Kyle was born in Huntsville, Alabama, to Roger and Belinda Wright. He has an elder brother, Mitchell, and younger brother, Trey.[1][2]

Amateur career

Wright attended Buckhorn High School in New Market, Alabama. As a junior, he went 6–2 with a 0.88 earned run average (ERA) and 75 strikeouts.[3] He committed to Vanderbilt University to play college baseball.[4]

As a freshman at Vanderbilt in 2015, Wright appeared in 29 games with three starts and went 6–1 with a 1.23 ERA, 62 strikeouts and four saves.[5][6][7] Wright became a full-time starter in 2016.[8] In 16 starts, he went 8–4 with a 3.09 ERA and 107 strikeouts.[9][10] After the season, he played for the United States collegiate national team.[11] As a junior in 2017, Wright went 5–6 with a 3.40 ERA and 121 strikeouts.[12][13]

Professional career

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves selected Wright with the fifth overall selection of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.[14] He signed for a $7 million signing bonus on June 16, and was assigned to the GCL Braves.[15] Wright was promoted to the Florida Fire Frogs in August 2017, and finished the season there.[16][17] In nine games started between the two teams, he was 0–1 with a 2.65 ERA.[18]

Wright received an invitation to spring training at the start of the 2018 season.[19] He began the season with the Mississippi Braves.[18] Wright pitched 109+1⁄3 innings and recorded a 3.70 ERA alongside 105 strikeouts and 43 walks.[20] On July 30, 2018, Wright was promoted to the Gwinnett Stripers.[21]

Wright was called up to the major leagues for the first time on September 1, 2018. He was the first player from the 2017 draft class to make it to the majors.[22][23] He made his major league debut on September 4 against the Boston Red Sox.[24] He was 0–0 with a 4.50 ERA in six innings pitched.[25]

Wright made the Braves' starting rotation at the start of the 2019 season.[26] He struggled through three starts, and was optioned to Gwinnett on April 13.[27][28] In the majors, he was 0–3 with an 8.69 ERA in 19+2⁄3 innings.[25]

In 2020, he was 2–4 with a 5.21 ERA in 38 innings in eight starts.[25] He was ninth in the NL, with 24 walks.[25] He primarily threw a 94 mph sinker and an 88 mph slider, while also throwing a 95 mph four-seam fastball, 88 mph changeup, and 82 mph curveball.[29] He made his postseason debut in October against the Miami Marlins during the National League Division Series, pitching six innings of shutout ball in the Braves' Game 3 and series-clinching victory.[30] He lasted less than an inning in his sole National League Championship Series start, allowing seven earned runs in Game 3 to the Los Angeles Dodgers.[31]

He spent most of the 2021 regular season with Gwinnett, with which he was 10–5 with a 3.02 ERA in 24 starts in which he pitched 137 innings. He also pitched two starts for the Braves, and was 0–1 with a 9.95 ERA in 6+1⁄3 innings.[32] On October 26, 2021, it was announced that Wright was added to the Braves roster for the World Series against the Houston Astros. Wright pitched one inning in Game 2, striking out the side.[33] Then, in Game 4, he entered the game with one out and the bases loaded in the first inning. Wright proceeded to work out of the jam with only one inherited runner scoring, then pitched four subsequent innings, allowing only one additional run. The Braves scored three runs, with successive home runs by Dansby Swanson and Jorge Soler, and won the game, 3–2.[34][35][36][37] Despite only pitching 6+2⁄3 innings in the regular season, Wright's 5+2⁄3 innings pitched in the World Series was the second highest among Braves pitchers.[38]

Wright began the 2022 season on the Braves Opening Day roster.[39] On September 24, Wright won his twentieth game of the season, and became the first Braves pitcher since Russ Ortiz in 2003 to reach that milestone.[40][41] Before the season had begun, Wright had only recorded two career wins.[42] Wright matched Ortiz's 2003 win total on October 1, 2022, and ended the regular season as the major league leader in victories. A Braves pitcher had not led MLB in wins since Tom Glavine's 2000 season.[43][44]

Wright's 2023 season was affected by injury. He made seven starts and nine total appearances for Atlanta, working to a 1–3 record 6.97 ERA with in 31 innings pitched.[45] On May 3, 2023, he departed a start against the Miami Marlins with an apparent injury.[46] After undergoing an MRI, it was revealed that Wright had suffered a shoulder strain.[47] He was placed on the 60-day injured list on May 15, and estimated to miss about two months.[48] On September 11, Wright was activated from the injured list.[49] On October 7, 2023, Wright underwent shoulder surgery to repair right shoulder damage, which caused him to miss the entirety of the 2024 season.[50][51]

Kansas City Royals

On November 17, 2023, the Braves traded Wright to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for pitcher Jackson Kowar.[52][53] On December 17, 2024, Wright and the Royals agreed to a contract for the 2025 season worth $1.8 million, the same salary he made while recovering from surgery the previous season.[54]

References

  1. ^ Sapakoff, Gene (June 2, 2017). "Sapakoff: Vandy's projected No. 1 overall pick had the Wright stuff early on". The Post and Courier. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  2. ^ Sparks, Adam (June 10, 2017). "Vanderbilt's Kyle Wright, family face Super Regional game, draft in 48 hours". USA Today. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  3. ^ Boyette, Daniel (April 6, 2015). "Buckhorn's Kyle Wright named SEC baseball co-Freshman of the Week". The Birmingham News. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  4. ^ Boyette, Daniel (April 12, 2013). "Buckhorn pitcher Kyle Wright commits to Vanderbilt". The Birmingham News. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  5. ^ Boclair, David (March 18, 2016). "Vanderbilt's Wright patiently prepped for SEC play". Nashville Post. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  6. ^ Sparks, Adam (June 22, 2015). "Injured Hayden Stone aids Vandy's Kyle Wright in CWS". The Tennessean. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  7. ^ Boclair, David. "Another freshman pitcher thrives for Vanderbilt at tournament time". Nashville Post. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  8. ^ Boclair, David. "Vanderbilt leads SEC in top pitching performances". Nashville Post. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  9. ^ "Vanderbilt's Kyle Wright, Jeren Kendall are preseason All-Americans". USA Today. December 19, 2016. Archived from the original on July 31, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  10. ^ Boyette, Daniel (March 23, 2017). "See the state players who are among Baseball America's top-100 draft prospects". The Birmingham News. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  11. ^ Carter, Mo (July 3, 2016). "Kye Wright Named to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team". WZDX. Archived from the original on July 31, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  12. ^ Boyette, Daniel (June 12, 2017). "Alabamian Kyle Wright drafted No. 5 overall by the Atlanta Braves". The Birmingham News. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  13. ^ Pouncy, Colton (June 16, 2017). "Former Vanderbilt pitcher Kyle Wright signs with Braves". The Tennessean. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  14. ^ Bowman, Mark (June 12, 2017). "Braves draft Kyle Wright from Vanderbilt at 5". MLB.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  15. ^ Bowman, Mark (June 16, 2017). "Braves, No. 5 pick Wright agree to deal". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  16. ^ "Kyle Wright Added to Florida's Roster". MILB.com. August 1, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  17. ^ "Florida Drops Series Against Daytona With 4-3 Loss". MILB.com. September 1, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  18. ^ a b Boyette, Daniel (April 6, 2018). "Braves top pick, former Alabama HS ace Kyle Wright makes Double-A debut". The Birmingham News. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  19. ^ Bowman, Mark (March 4, 2018). "Wright excels in first taste of big league camp". MLB.com. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  20. ^ Carter, Mo (July 30, 2018). "Buckhorn graduate Kyle Wright is being promoted to Triple-A". WZDX. Archived from the original on July 31, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  21. ^ "Roundup: Braves promote Wright, Allard". MILB.com. July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  22. ^ Weinrib, Ben (September 1, 2018). "Wright, No. 2 prospect, among Braves' callups". MLB.com. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  23. ^ Burns, Gabriel (September 1, 2018). "Kyle Wright joins Braves bullpen for playoff push". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  24. ^ Odum, Charles (September 5, 2018). "Pearce drives in 3 runs as Red Sox beat Braves again, 5-1". Fox Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2019 – via Boston.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  25. ^ a b c d "Kyle Wright Stats". Baseball-Reference.com.
  26. ^ "Braves to have two rookie starters in rotation". ESPN.com. March 24, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  27. ^ Burns, Gabriel (April 12, 2019). "Kyle Wright struggles with strikes in Braves' loss to Mets". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  28. ^ Bowman, Mark (April 13, 2019). "Braves option Wright, ready for Folty's return". MLB.com. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  29. ^ "BrooksBaseball.net Player Card: Kyle Wright". www.brooksbaseball.net.
  30. ^ "2020 NL Division Series - Atlanta Braves over Miami Marlins (3-0)". Baseball-Reference.com.
  31. ^ "2020 National League Championship Series (NLCS) Game 3, Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves, October 14, 2020". Baseball-Reference.com.
  32. ^ "Kyle Wright College & Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  33. ^ "Former Alabama prep star strikes out side in World Series for Atlanta". Advance Publications. October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  34. ^ Castrovince, Anthony (October 31, 2021). "Back-to-back HRs put Braves on cusp of title". MLB.com. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  35. ^ Rogers, Jesse (October 31, 2021). "Houston Astros strand 11, rue missed chances as they face elimination in World Series". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  36. ^ Camerato, Jessica (October 31, 2021). "Snitker: Wright 'the reason we won' Game 4". MLB.com. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  37. ^ "Atlanta Braves win 2021 World Series". MLB. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  38. ^ "2021 World Series - Atlanta Braves over Houston Astros (4-2)". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  39. ^ Bowman, Mark (April 9, 2022). "With confidence flowing, Wright slings 6 scoreless". MLB.com. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  40. ^ "Atlanta Braves' Kyle Wright, winless in 2021, becomes MLB's first 20-game winner". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 24, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  41. ^ Bowman, Mark (September 24, 2022). "Wright's 20th 'W' puts his name among Braves greats". MLB.com. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  42. ^ Toscano, Justin (September 24, 2022). "Kyle Wright becomes Braves' first 20-game winner since 2003 in win over Phillies". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  43. ^ "Swanson, Olson go deep vs Scherzer, Braves take NL East lead". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 1, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  44. ^ Bowman, Mark (October 1, 2022). "Braves overtake Mets for 1st place in NL East". MLB.com. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  45. ^ "Braves pitcher Kyle Wright likely to miss '24 after surgery". ESPN.com. Reuters. October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  46. ^ Thames, Alanis (May 3, 2023). "Braves Wright to go on IL with right shoulder soreness". San Diego Union Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  47. ^ Burns, Gabriel (May 5, 2023). "MRI shows Braves' Kyle Wright has shoulder strain". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  48. ^ Toscano, Justin (May 15, 2023). "Braves transfer Kyle Wright to 60-day injured list". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  49. ^ "Matt Olson hits homers 49, 50, not enough as Phillies top Braves 7-5 in 2nd game of doubleheader". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 11, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  50. ^ O'Brien, David (October 7, 2023). "Braves' Kyle Wright expected to miss 2024 season with surgery; Jesse Chavez off NLDS roster". theathletic.com. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  51. ^ Toscano, Justin (October 7, 2023). "Kyle Wright to undergo shoulder procedure, will miss 2024 season". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  52. ^ Toscano, Justin (November 17, 2023). "Another Braves surprise: Kyle Wright is traded to Royals". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  53. ^ Thompson, Jaylon (November 17, 2023). "KC Royals swap pitchers, Jackson Kowar for Kyle Wright, in 2nd Friday trade with Braves". Kansas City Star. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  54. ^ "Royals reach 1-year, $1.8 million deal with RHP Kyle Wright". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 17, 2024. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
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