Kyle Wright Flashes Brilliance, Deserves Patience
My original plan for this post was to provide observations on a number of Braves players through the first week, such as Mike Soroka, Max Fried, Sean Newcomb and Austin Riley. There is still plenty of time to do that (hopefully), so I’m going to shelve that for the moment in favor of focusing on the prospect in the rotation and explaining why you should look at the positives in Kyle Wright’s first start.
After the usual outing from Newcomb and the failures of Mike Foltynewicz, the Braves needed Wright to step up to provide some semblance of effectiveness behind Soroka and Fried in the rotation. Wright represents the best chance for that by offering some of the best stuff on the staff and more feel than Newcomb.
He started strong Tuesday night against the Rays with two eye-popping innings, but the wheels came off in the third and he eventually totaled five runs on four hits, three walks and three strikeouts in 2.2 innings. There were chances to get out of the frame, with most of the damage coming with two outs and Marcell Ozuna’s lack of range proving important by coming up short on a fly ball that would have ended the inning at two runs.
The final line doesn’t tell the story. Wright’s first two innings were indicative of what he can do on a major league mound, and that is what people should take from the start.
The 24-year-old came out with plus arm speed attacking hitters by filling the zone with mid-90s four-seamers in all quadrants, showing the ability to change eye levels and work side to side. This was the Wright I wanted to see, pumping mid-90s heat around the zone with intent instead of the slow-dive two-seamer.
The slider was equally impressive, consistently hitting plus with incredibly sharp bite and late break. It tunneled well off the four-seamer and produced a 50 percent whiff rate over the 2.2 innings, further proving it’s a legitimate out pitch and one of the best pitches in the organization. The four-seam/slider combination was almost unhittable through two innings. He also mixed in the changeup and curveball as a change of pace, with the changeup being the more effective of the two in this outing as an above-average offering. This will differ depending on his feel that day. As you may remember, Wright’s best change-of-pace pitch in his final camp tuneup was the curve.
Things fell apart in the third because Wright couldn’t get a grip on the ball. Safety rules in 2020 do not allow pitchers to go to their mouth for saliva on the fingers, and Wright relies heavily on this for grip. He said he tried to use the wet rag but with no success. He was constantly looking at his fingers in the inning, trying anything from going to his armpit to the sweat in his hair, but nothing worked.
The lack of grip showed when Wright started missing high consistently, failing to snap off the same slider and going away from the fastball as he tried to find a feel. As a result, he also started rushing the front side and getting out of sync. A few batters later, the outing had unraveled and Wright was gone.
This is by no means meant to provide excuses. Wright said himself that he has to find a way to overcome the lack of grip. But it does offer context into why things fell apart so quickly and why the stuff and command suddenly disappeared.
Braves manager Brian Snitker was quick to say after the game that you keep throwing Wright out there to let him find his legs on a major league mound. It’s tough to do in a 60-game season when every game is so important, but the first two innings showed that you have to stick with him. The potential payoff is too great, and he still represents the best option. What I saw in those two innings is why I’ve stuck with him as Atlanta’s top pitching prospect over the past year.
This isn’t a Foltynewicz or Newcomb situation. Wright has more potential than anyone else in the Braves organization to be that third effective pitcher in the rotation behind Soroka and Fried. He has frontline stuff and flashes the feel to command it multiple times through an order. It doesn’t always come right away for a prospect, but there’s far too much stuff and enough feel for Wright to not become a solid starter. Give him time this season.
Pitch grades in Wright’s start:
Four-Seam Fastball - 60 (93-96)
Slider - 60
Changeup - 55
Two-Seam Fastball - 50
Curveball - 40