Wright shows ups and downs in start vs. Sox

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Kyle Wright sprinted to the big leagues in 2018, returned earlier than necessary in '19 and then finally tasted some consistent success after stumbling during the early portion of last season.

Establishing himself hasn’t been easy for Wright, who was taken by the Braves with the fifth overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. But he believes the tribulations combined with the physical and mental adjustments he made last year have positioned him to continue moving toward his tremendous potential.

“Some people can just go, go, go, and for other people, it’s a little slower,” Wright said. “For me, I think I’m definitely on the slower side. But everyone runs their own race and everyone has their own timeline.”

While Wright has certainly made strides, his performance in the Braves' 5-3 loss to the Red Sox on Tuesday afternoon at JetBlue Park reminded us he is far from a finished product. Wright worked around a walk in a scoreless first, allowed a pair of doubles in the second inning and then loaded the bases after striking out the first two batters he faced in the third.

Similar to the early stages of his career, Wright created some encouraging moments and then showed his youth. He exited with the bases loaded in the third and began looking forward to his next chance to prove he has indeed improved, both physically and mentally.

“Personally, I think he tried to do too much in the first inning,” manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s the kind of guy who needs to establish his fastball. I think he got away from that in the first. The stuff is there. He just needs to figure out how to keep building on it.”

Wright is competing with Bryse Wilson and Huascar Ynoa to serve as the Braves’ fifth starter until Mike Soroka returns from the injured list. But more importantly, Wright is attempting to build on the confidence he gained after finishing strong last season.

After spending nearly a month back at the Triple-A level last season, Wright returned to Atlanta’s rotation and posted a 2.37 ERA over his final three regular-season starts. He then tossed six scoreless innings against the Marlins in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.

Though Wright got chased by the Dodgers in the first inning of Game 3 of the NL Championship Series, he was still seemingly in a much better spot than he’d been just two months earlier, when the 25-year-old hurler was demoted after posting a 7.20 ERA through his first four starts.

Wright cruised through the first two innings of his season debut on the road against Tampa Bay and then crumbled when he relied too heavily on his slider in the third. He experienced a similar start in Miami a little over two weeks later and found himself back in the Minors, seeking consultation from mental skills coach Zach Sorensen.

“Preparing yourself the right way is really the most important thing,” Wright said. “You’ve got to make sure when things spiral out of control, my head doesn’t start spinning and it stays where it needs to.”

Wright has altered his between-starts routines and attempted to pitch with more conviction, which resulted in the beneficial decision to rely more heavily on the fastball late last year. He’s also come to learn Spring Training is a time to learn and prepare for the season.

While it was fun for him to blow opponents away when he was an underdog prospect during his impressive 2019 Grapefruit League season, Wright has come to realize taking advantage of rusty hitters in March won’t help him when he’s struggling in June.

“I think I can compete with anybody out there,” Wright said. “If my stuff is where it needs to be, I definitely can. As long as I get out of my own way, then I can do that.”