| Jaret Wright | |
|---|---|
 Wright with the New York Yankees | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1975-12-29)December 29, 1975 (age 49) Anaheim, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 24, 1997, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| April 29, 2007, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 68–60 |
| Earned run average | 5.09 |
| Strikeouts | 694 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Jaret Samuel Wright (born December 29, 1975) is an American former professionalbaseballpitcher. He played all or parts of 11 seasons inMajor League Baseball for theCleveland Indians,San Diego Padres,Atlanta Braves,New York Yankees, andBaltimore Orioles, primarily as astarting pitcher.
Wright was born on December 29, 1975 inAnaheim, California, and is the son ofClyde Wright, who himself pitched for nine seasons in the major leagues and three seasons inNippon Professional Baseball. Wright graduated fromKatella High School in Anaheim, where he also playedquarterback andlinebacker for the football team. He was named league MVP and Orange County High School Player of the Year.[1]
TheCleveland Indians selected Wright in the first round, with the 10th overall pick, of the1994 Major League Baseball draft. Following the draft, Wright began his professional career with theBurlington Indians, the team'srookie league affiliate in theAppalachian League. The 18-year-old started in four games and had a 5.40earned run average (ERA).
In 1995, Wright progressed to theClass AColumbus RedStixx in theSouth Atlantic League, where he went 5–6 with a 3.00 ERA in 24 games. In 1996, he moved up to theKinston Indians, the team's"High-A" affiliate in theCarolina League. He went 7–4 in 19 starts, with a 2.50 ERA.Baseball America rated Wright as its #22 prospect and was regularly mentioned by the Cleveland front office as one of the organization's top prospects.
The following year, 1997, was a breakout season for Wright. He started with theAkron Aeros, theDouble-A in theEastern League, where he went 3–3 with a 3.67 ERA. He was quickly promoted to theTriple-ABuffalo Bisons, going 4–1 in 7 starts and sported an impressive 1.80 ERA. On June 3, he pitched a 7-inning, 2-hit shutout against theIndianapolis Indians. That earned Wright a promotion to the big club when a spot opened up.
Wright made his major league debut in 1997 with the Indians. Wright found instant success. He posted an 8–3 record with a 4.38 ERA in 16 starts, and also pitched effectively in the postseason. In the deciding seventh game of the1997 World Series, the Indians opted to start Wright over the more experiencedCharles Nagy. Wright left the game after6+1⁄3 innings with a 2–1 lead; however, the Indians lost in 11 innings.[2] Wright finished fifth in theAmerican League Rookie of the Year Award voting.
Wright had a 12–10 record and a 4.72 ERA in 1998. He suffered from a shoulder injury in 1999, when he went 8–10 with a 6.06 ERA in 26 starts. The injury required two surgeries to repair, costing him parts of the following three seasons.[3]
After Wright went 2–3 with a 15.71 ERA in 2002, the Indians decided not to re-sign him, and he became afree agent. Wright then signed with theSan Diego Padres in early 2003. He went 1–5 with an 8.73 ERA in 39 games, all inrelief and was traded to theAtlanta Braves in August. After going 1–0 with a 2.00 ERA and not allowing a run in 10 out of his 11 appearances, he was told that he was going to be made a starting pitcher again for the next season.[4]
Wright started 2004 in theminors to build up arm strength, but was called up by the Braves when it was discovered pitcherPaul Byrd needed more time to rehab his arm (he had missed the entire 2003 season due toTommy John surgery).[5] Wright became the Braves best pitcher that season, going 15–8 with a 3.28 ERA in 32 starts while amassing 159strikeouts in186+1⁄3innings pitched.
In December 2004, Wright signed a three-year, US$21 million deal with theNew York Yankees.[6][7]
On November 12, 2006, the Yankees traded Wright to theBaltimore Orioles forChris Britton and cash considerations. The Orioles were responsible for paying only $3 million of the $7 million left on Wright's contract.[8]
Wright's shoulder problems returned in the 2007 season and caused him to spend time on thedisabled list twice;[9] he did make three starts in April, each five innings or less, but lost all three of them and accumulated a 6.97 ERA. Wright had started a rehab assignment in September and after 3 games he decided to go home ending the rest of the season.[9] On October 1, 2007, the Orioles released Wright.[10]
On January 23, 2008, Wright signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, which included an invitation tospring training. At the end of spring training, he declined his assignment to the minor leagues and elected to become a free agent. He went unsigned, and never pitched professionally again.[11]
In January 2023, Wright was named the Pitching Coach of theWindy City ThunderBolts of theFrontier League. It is his first professional coaching experience.[12]
· Baseball Almanac