Kyle Wright

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Atlanta Braves #4 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: The top college pitcher in the 2017 draft, Wright sprinted to the big leagues and made his major league debut in September 2018. Since then, he has shuffled between Triple-A and Atlanta, primarily as a starter, but with a few big league relief outings.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Wright still has some of the best pure stuff in the system, headlined by a plus fastball that sits around 94-95 mph and gets up to 99 at its best. The Vanderbilt product's slider and curveball each flash plus, but the pitches can blend together and are more consistently above-average offerings. Wright used his slider more frequently than his curve this season—a departure from previous pitch usage—and also showed much better feel for a mid-80s changeup that has solid depth and gives him a more effective secondary against lefties. The gap between his walk rate in the minors and majors continues to be drastic, though coaches believe that's more an issue of settling into a consistent schedule and role.
  
  THE FUTURE: Wright should graduate from prospect status in 2020 and become a fixture in Atlanta's rotation, where he has the stuff to become a steady, mid-rotation arm.
• 
  Ranked Atlanta Braves #4 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: The top college pitcher in his draft class, Wright became just the fourth college pitcher the Braves have selected with a top-10 pick in the June draft and the first since fellow Vanderbilt Commodore Mike Minor in 2009. He became the first player from the 2017 draft to reach the big leagues when he was called up in September. The Braves moved him to the bullpen at Triple-A Gwinnett in August to see if he could help in Atlanta, but he pitched only sporadically in September and was not added to the postseason roster.
  
  Scouting Report: Wright has the most varied arsenal of the Braves' top-tier pitching prospects. His fastball and curveball are both plus pitches, and he mixes in a slider that flashes above-average potential as well as an average changeup. His slider and curve sometimes merge together, but his power 82-85 mph breaking ball is a downer out pitch. His 92-96 mph fastball has excellent armside run. Scouts like his delivery, but Wright has yet to show the above-average control that many scouts expect him to develop.
  
  The Future: Wright has already reached Atlanta, but he could use further time in Triple-A as he works to refine his control. He heads to spring training with a shot to break camp with the big league club, but more likely he's a midseason callup. Wright projects as a future mid-rotation starter.
• 
  Ranked Atlanta Braves #4 prospect in 2018
  Wright traveled the typical Vanderbilt ace development track, going from dominating reliever as freshman to reliable starter as a sophomore and junior. The Braves went nearly $1.3 million over slot to sign Wright for $7 million as the fifth overall pick in 2017. He finished the year with six starts at high Class A Florida. Wright's plus-plus fastball ranges from 92-98 mph, with late life at its best to go with excellent angle. His command is better when he's pitching in the lower registers of his velocity range. Wright's curveball and slider both generate potential plus grades, but he often shows a knack for locating one or the other, depending on the day. His curveball is a low-80s pitch with late break and good depth. His harder mid-80s slider has modest break but plenty of power. His mid-80s changeup is his fourth pitch for now but shows excellent fade and run when he's locked in. Wright is still adjusting to the five-day schedule of pro ball, but in an organization that doesn't hesitate to challenge players, an Opening Day assignment to Double-A isn't out of the question. He has a chance to be a future top-of-the-rotation starter thanks to his varied repertoire, physicality and control.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #2 prospect in 2017 draft
  A product of a northern Alabama high school just north of Huntsville, Wright could go from undrafted in 2014 to the top overall pick in 2017. Wright was Vanderbilt's go-to reliever as a freshman in its 2015 College World Series runner-up team, then as a sophomore he gave Vanderbilt a 1-2 punch with Dodgers first-rounder Jordan Sheffield. He entered the spring as Vanderbilt's Friday starter after a strong summer with USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team. He got off to a slow start in 2017 despite a fastball that often sat 95-97 mph early on, but his fastball command improved to solid-average as he dialed it back a bit to 92-95 mph, and that opened the way for him to get to his plus secondary stuff. Wright's slider is a hard mid-80s pitch with late life and at times cutter shape that can be plus; his curveball, his preferred breaking ball, has plus shape and power at around 80 mph. Teams laid off the curveball early when he wasn't throwing his fastball for strikes, and he needs to land both breaking balls for strikes more consistently going forward. Some scouts prefer the slider over his curve, though Wright throws the curve more often. Wright's power changeup in the upper 80s flashes plus as well with late bottom, though he uses it fairly rarely. Wright's clean arm action, low-maintenance delivery and sturdy 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame help him maintain velocity deep into games, up to 94 mph even into the ninth inning of his complete games. He was getting better as the season went on, including a dominant 38-inning stretch in April and May in which he allowed just 15 hits and nine walks while striking out 44. Wright had moved to the top of the college righthander crop.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked International League #9 prospect in 2019
  Wright’s plan of attack this year involved working north and south with his fastball-slider combination. When he executed that plan, he found success. If he couldn’t reach the bottom of the zone, hitters feasted. "When he settles into a rhythm and you give him the ball every fifth day, you see what he can do,” Gwinnett manager Damon Berryhill said. "He has legit stuff.” He’ll need to significantly improve his command to see his success in the IL translate to the big leagues.
• 
  Ranked Southern League #7 prospect in 2018
  The top college pitcher in the 2017 draft, Wright went fifth overall to the Braves and spent the bulk of his first full pro season in the SL before moving to Triple-A in August. He recorded a 3.46 ERA and struck out 133 in 138 minor league innings before Atlanta made him a September callup. He was the first—and so far only—player from his draft class to reach the majors. Wright relies on a heavy low-90s fastball that tops out at 95 mph and a power breaking ball that stood out to SL managers as the best in the league. Both pitches earn consistent plus grades from scouts. Wright blends his curveball and slider at times, showing big break and downer action at lower velocities and more traditional slider action when thrown in the mid-80s. He has a higher comfort level with his curve dating back to college. Wright must develop his below-average changeup and refine his fastball command to the edges of the plate, but he has a No. 3 or 4 starter profile if he can.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #64 prospect in 2020
• Ranked Baseball America's #39 prospect in 2019
• Ranked Baseball America's #34 prospect in 2018

• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: The top college pitcher in the 2017 draft, Wright sprinted to the big leagues and made his major league debut in September 2018. Since then, he has shuffled between Triple-A and Atlanta, primarily as a starter, but with a few big league relief outings.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Wright still has some of the best pure stuff in the system, headlined by a plus fastball that sits around 94-95 mph and gets up to 99 at its best. The Vanderbilt product’s slider and curveball each flash plus, but the pitches can blend together and are more consistently above-average offerings. Wright used his slider more frequently than his curve this season—a departure from previous pitch usage—and also showed much better feel for a mid-80s changeup that has solid depth and gives him a more effective secondary against lefties. The gap between his walk rate in the minors and majors continues to be drastic, though coaches believe that’s more an issue of settling into a consistent schedule and role.
  
  THE FUTURE: Wright should graduate from prospect status in 2020 and become a fixture in Atlanta’s rotation, where he has the stuff to become a steady, mid-rotation arm.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: The top college pitcher in the 2017 draft, Wright sprinted to the big leagues and made his major league debut in September 2018. Since then, he has shuffled between Triple-A and Atlanta, primarily as a starter, but with a few big league relief outings.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Wright still has some of the best pure stuff in the system, headlined by a plus fastball that sits around 94-95 mph and gets up to 99 at its best. The Vanderbilt product's slider and curveball each flash plus, but the pitches can blend together and are more consistently above-average offerings. Wright used his slider more frequently than his curve this season—a departure from previous pitch usage—and also showed much better feel for a mid-80s changeup that has solid depth and gives him a more effective secondary against lefties. The gap between his walk rate in the minors and majors continues to be drastic, though coaches believe that's more an issue of settling into a consistent schedule and role.
  
  THE FUTURE: Wright should graduate from prospect status in 2020 and become a fixture in Atlanta's rotation, where he has the stuff to become a steady, mid-rotation arm.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Wright’s plan of attack this year involved working north and south with his fastball-slider combination. When he executed that plan, he found success. If he couldn’t reach the bottom of the zone, hitters feasted. "When he settles into a rhythm and you give him the ball every fifth day, you see what he can do,” Gwinnett manager Damon Berryhill said. "He has legit stuff.” He’ll need to significantly improve his command to see his success in the IL translate to the big leagues.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  Pitching every fifth day as a pro, Wright’s stuff hasn’t always been as firm as it was at Vanderbilt, but he still has the attributes of a potential No. 2 or 3 starter. His control wasn’t as sharp early in the season, but he adjusted to the smaller Double-A strike zone and has shown signs of dominance including 13 strikeouts in one recent start. Wright flashes three plus pitches, including a 94-95 mph fastball.
• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Wright traveled the typical Vanderbilt ace develop- ment track, going from dominating reliever as freshman to reliable starter as a sophomore and junior. The Braves went nearly $1.3 million over slot to sign Wright for $7 million as the fifth overall pick in 2017. He finished the year with six starts at high Class A Florida. SCOUTING REPORT: Wright's plus-plus fastball ranges from 92-98 mph, with late life at its best to go with excellent angle. His command is better when he's pitching in the lower registers of his velocity range. Wright's curveball and slider both generate potential plus grades, but he often shows a knack for locating one or the other, depending on the day. His curveball is a low- 80s pitch with late break and good depth. His harder mid-80s slider has modest break but plenty of power. His mid-80s changeup is his fourth pitch for now but shows excellent fade and run when he's locked in. THE FUTURE: Wright is still adjusting to the five-day schedule of pro ball, but in an organization that doesn't hesitate to challenge players, an Opening Day assignment to Double-A isn't out of the question. He has a chance to be a future top-of-the-rotation starter thanks to his varied repertoire, physicality and control.