Kyle Wright (baseball)


Kyle Hardy Wright is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball.

Early life

Kyle was born in Huntsville, Alabama, on October 2, 1995, to parents Roger and Belinda Wright. He has an elder brother, Mitchell, and younger brother Trey.

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 and 75 strikeouts. He committed to Vanderbilt University to play college baseball.
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. Wright became a full-time starter in 2016. In 16 starts, he went 8–4 with a 3.09 ERA and 107 strikeouts. After the season, he played for the United States collegiate national team. As a junior in 2017, Wright went 5–6 with a 3.40 ERA and 121 strikeouts.

Professional career

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves selected Wright with the fifth overall selection of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. He signed for a $7 million bonus on June 16 and was assigned to the GCL Braves. Wright was promoted to the Florida Fire Frogs in August 2017, and he finished the season there. In nine games started between the two teams, he was 0–1 with a 2.65 ERA.
Wright received an invitation to spring training at the start of the 2018 season. He began the season with the Mississippi Braves. Wright pitched innings and recorded a 3.70 ERA alongside 105 strikeouts and 43 walks. On July 30, 2018, Wright was promoted to the Gwinnett Stripers. He faced the Norfolk Tides on August 3 in his International League debut.
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. He made his major league debut on September 4 against the Boston Red Sox. Wright made the Braves' starting rotation at the start of the 2019 season. He struggled through three starts, and was optioned to Gwinnett on April 13.