NORTH PORT, Fla. — The springtime customs are underway. The weather takes a welcome turn. The flowers and optimism bloom. MLB teams report to Florida and Arizona. Kyle Wright begins competing for a rotation spot with the Braves.
Wright’s annual bid for a starter spot resumed Wednesday with his start against the Rays. Wright would rather be known for his work in summer and fall – and there have been moments – but his career mostly has made headlines only in the spring as he strives for a roster spot.
Wright’s career hasn’t followed the trajectory one would hope for a No. 5 overall pick. The former Vanderbilt ace is 26 years old now – just 20 months younger than Braves co-ace Max Fried – and is still scratching and clawing for starts.
“There’s some openings (in the rotation), and I’m just trying to compete,” Wright said. “I feel like I’m finally moving in the direction of where I want to be. I have my confidence back. I’ll continue building off that, and whatever role I can fulfill to help the team, I’m willing to do so. But my goal is to continue to get better and keep making big strides.”
This isn’t where Wright wants to be. He appeared in only five games (plus two in the postseason) in 2021. It was a disappointment, especially considering the promise he showed late in the truncated 2020 campaign.
He finished that season with three impressive starts and pitched six scoreless innings against the Marlins in a postseason game. His final outing against the Dodgers was disastrous, but he nonetheless showed enough to encourage the Braves entering last season.
Yet stability still eluded Wright. He saved his most impactful moment for the World Series when he covered 4 ⅔ innings, striking out three and walking three, in Game 4. He held the Astros to one run in a 3-2 victory.
“It gave me all the confidence (to pitch in the World Series),” Wright said. “I feel like I was battling my confidence a ton. Every time I came up, I felt like I was never quite there, constantly battling the confidence thing. I went down to Triple-A this past year, and the last few months I was really, really good. I felt like I started to get my confidence back there because I was able to throw pitches for strikes and do what I wanted to do.
“Then to actually do it in the World Series and prove that everything I’ve been working on was the right thing. It just gave me a ton of confidence, and I feel like I carried it into spring training so far, too.”
His World Series outing was another flash of how Wright can help a major-league team. Everyone sees he’s capable because he’s twice impressed in postseason play. But staying on the stage isn’t about hitting the occasional high notes. It’s about staying in tune.
The reality facing Wright is he’s running out of chances. He’s seen old peers such as Kolby Allard and Bryse Wilson jettisoned over the years. He just saw Touki Toussaint, who was also vying for starts, optioned to minor-league camp.
Wright’s exhibition season started well Wednesday against the Rays at CoolToday Park. He pitched three scoreless innings, allowing three hits, striking out two and walking one. He had a base runner in each inning but responded accordingly.
His final frame began with a Vidal Brujan walk and Ford Proctor single. Wright coaxed Josh Lowe into a double play and Ji-Man Choi into a flyout to finish the frame. Wright said he was pleased with the outing, specifically mentioning an uptick in his slider’s velocity (around 92 mph on multiple pitches).
“I kind of liked the fact he got into a little trouble,” manager Brian Snitker said. “He had to pitch his way out. He’s capable of getting out of an inning with one pitch. I thought he threw the ball really well.”
So begins what’s quite possibly a make-or-break campaign for Wright with the Braves.
“It goes back to the last series of (last) year (the World Series),” Wright said when asked why this spring is different from the past three. “Just pitching in the World Series and proving to myself that I’m capable of pitching at the highest level at the peak of our sport. It’s confidence. It’s a little different.
“I feel like I’m getting back to my old self a bit, not trying to do too much. I feel like I’ve grown up a lot. I have a lot of good teammates, veteran mentors that you learn from and talk to. You go through your own path and figure things out for yourself, too. I just think each year I get a little older and learn a little more and gain a little more experience.”
