2018 Mike Wright

[TouchemAll]

JMHO He just seems headed to the BP reminds me a lot of Tommy Home run Hunter

[Bahama O's Fan]

It seems like his ceiling is a top end reliever right now.

[clapdiddy]

I think he COULD be a very good relief pitcher.   I just have the feeling he'll wind up in some sort of trade and become some other team's dominant reliever.   I don't think Buck really cares for him because of his attitude. 

[Frobby]

10 minutes ago, bobmc said:

That reminds me of weams' Scotty Mac quote about Jake and not trusting his stuff in the zone.  Does OPACY cause "jitters" and make the pitchers nibble more?

Yes, compared to Harbor Park.   I should add that pitching in Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park and Rogers Centre isn’t exactly a picnic either.    So I do think pitchers have trouble trusting their stuff and sometimes that carries over even once they’re sent back down.     There’s a really fine line between working on changes you need to make in order to succeed in the majors, and getting too farcaway from the things that made you successful coming up.    A lot of pitchers have trouble finding where that line is in our organization, it seems.  

[Redskins Rick]

36 minutes ago, bobmc said:

That reminds me of weams' Scotty Mac quote about Jake and not trusting his stuff in the zone.  Does OPACY cause "jitters" and make the pitchers nibble more?

I think pitching is all about the head, blocking out the distractions.

I know its just a movie, but For the Love of the Game and how Costner talks about the mental aspect and what you have to do, makes so much sense.

Remember Scotty telling Miley to stop over thinking each pitch. I think wasn't just for OPCY.

[clapdiddy]

This whole "Oriole Park Factor" ,I believe,  is way overblown.  There have been many guys who have had pretty good years pitching in Baltimore.

[Redskins Rick]

5 minutes ago, clapdiddy said:

This whole "Oriole Park Factor" I believe is way overblown.  There have been many guys who have had pretty good years pitching in Baltimore.

Nomo didnt mind pitching his no-no here.

[esmd]

Big arm, small brain.

[Rene88]

5 minutes ago, esmd said:

Big arm, small brain.

That's not nice.

Enjoyed reading everyone's comments. I honestly think there is a systematic issue with our pitching development and until that issue is addressed (Is it the lack of money spent on scouting, choosing the wrong personnel, Buck's wild fascination with time to the plate, converging opinions between DD and Buck, the Orioles hatred of certain pitches), I don't believe it is fair to criticize these guys so much. It makes it hard to evaluate them.

It is not an accident that so many pitchers go elsewhere and succeed IMO.

[Bahama O's Fan]

2 minutes ago, Rene88 said:

That's not nice.

Enjoyed reading everyone's comments. I honestly think there is a systematic issue with our pitching development and until that issue is addressed (Is it the lack of money spent on scouting, choosing the wrong personnel, Buck's wild fascination with time to the plate, converging opinions between DD and Buck, the Orioles hatred of certain pitches), I don't believe it is fair to criticize these guys so much. It makes it hard to evaluate them.

It is not an accident that so many pitchers go elsewhere and succeed IMO.

I agree. There is something wrong, but I can't pinpoint what exactly it is.

[esmd]

2 minutes ago, Rene88 said:

That's not nice.

Enjoyed reading everyone's comments. I honestly think there is a systematic issue with our pitching development and until that issue is addressed (Is it the lack of money spent on scouting, choosing the wrong personnel, Buck's wild fascination with time to the plate, converging opinions between DD and Buck, the Orioles hatred of certain pitches), I don't believe it is fair to criticize these guys so much. It makes it hard to evaluate them.

It is not an accident that so many pitchers go elsewhere and succeed IMO.

Hey, the truth hurts.  Wright is a knucklehead.  He loses composure on the mound and does dumb things and with the media saying dumb things.

[interloper]

Sometimes a player just isn't very good and we don't have to think about it more than that. It's ok that Mike Wright isn't good. He was never really very good, save a couple of decent seasons in the minors. His ceiling is not stud reliever, it's just reliever. Maybe he puts together a Chaz Ro-style 40 IP of half decent middle relief at some point. 

[Luke-OH]

8 minutes ago, esmd said:

Big arm, small brain.

While it's fair to say that he has struggled under pressure, let's not insult the man. The first thing the guy did upon making it to the majors was start a charity.

https://wrightstateofmind.org/

[Tx Oriole]

2 hours ago, Frobby said:

Mike Wright comes into camp out of options, and a candidate for either one of the open rotation spots or a place in the bullpen.   Here’s a look at his last four seasons, since he reached AAA.

2014.  After a solid season at Bowie in 2013, Wright pitched the full year in Norfolk and struggled: 4.61 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 10.0 H/9, 0.6 HR/9, 2.6 BB/9, 6.5 K/9.    

2015.   Wright dominated at Norfolk the second time around, earned a promotion to the majors and started off with two sterling starts, but struggled thereafter, eventually being sent back down.   For the year at Norfolk, he made 14 starts, to a 2.22 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 6.6 H/9, 0.4 HR/9, 2.8 BB/9, 7.0 K/9.   In Baltimore, he made 9 starts and 3 relief appearances, pitching to a 6.04 ERA, 1.567 WHIP, 10.5 H/9, 1.8 HR/9, 3.6 BB/9, 5.2 K/9.   While he was disappointinog in Baltimore, his progress at Norfolk was promising.

2016.  Wright started the year in the Orioles rotation, but was inconsistent and lost his spot.    Back at Norfolk, he was somewhat  less effective than the year before: 13 starts, 3.07 ERA, 1.127 WHIP, 8.5 H/9, 0.9 HR/9, 1.9 BB/9, 5.7 K/9.    In Baltimore, he was just as inconsistent as in 2015: 12 starts and 6 relief appearances, 5.79 ERA,  1.43 WHIP, 9.8 H/9, 1.4 HR/9, 3.1 BB/9, 6.0 K/9.

2017.   Wright was used mostly as a starter in Norfolk, but exclusively in relief in Baltimore.   He seemed to go backwards as a starter in Norfolk: 16 starts, 3.69 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 8.8 H/9, 0.7 HR/9, 2.8 BB/9, 7.7 K/9.     In Baltimore, he had some dominant relief outings, and maintained a high K rate, but gopher balls led to crooked numbers at times.    Overall, his results in relief weren’t much better than they’d been as a starter: 13 appearances, 5.76 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 9.4 H/9, 1.8 HR/9, 2.5 BB/9, 10.1 K/9.

Wright’s been a little bit of a ping-pong ball, getting called up 11 separate times in three years (including his stint on the OD roster in 2016, technically not a call-up).

So, what are we to make of this guy?    Should we have any hope that he’ll surprise us and find a lasting role on the big league club this year?    Do we make anything of the fact that he’s gotten a little worse at Norfolk each of the last two years?    Should his 10.1 K/9 in relief last year encourage us?    Understanding that OPACY is a hitter’s park and Harbor Park favors pitchers, what do we make of his very high HR rates in the majors (1.6 HR/9) compared to AAA (0.6 HR/9)?

My overall take is that while Wright’s fastball has good velocity and decent movement, especially in relief, his secondary stuff is mediocre.   He has OK control but it doesn’t translate to good command, and he makes too many mistakes that big league hitters can pound.     Plus, he seems prone to letting things snowball and seems easily rattled.

Yet, I can’t escape the feeling that with the right coaching, he might make a tweak here and there, mature, and be a useful big league pitcher.    I’m just not sure it will happen with us in 2018.    

Well he won't have the right coaching to help him. Not in Baltimore anyway. 

[Tx Oriole]

2 hours ago, theobird said:

I still like Mike Wright. I grant you that he has struggled mightily at times, but his stuff will play in MLB. I am pulling for the guy, and it won't shock me if he lands a spot in the rotation and holds his own this year.

With another team.