I’ve said several times that Kyle Wright will be the breakout star for the Braves in 2022, and they need him to be. After Fried, Morton, and Anderson, there are a lot more questions than answers in the rotation. But in order for the Braves to finally figure out what they have in Wright, they have to give him some leash at the Major League level.
The way the Braves have handled Wright so far in his career has always perturbed me. This is a former #5 overall pick we are talking about, and he’s been yanked around like a yo-yo between Gwinnett and Atlanta for most of his professional life. Finally, the Braves kept him in one place, and it turned out to be one of the keys to the team winning the World Series. After finding himself in Gwinnett, Wright was asked to start arguably the most pivotal game of last season, and he delivered, tossing 4.2 innings of one-run ball against one of the best offenses in the game.
Everybody already knew what Wright was capable of; that’s why he was drafted fifth overall out of Vanderbilt. It’s always been about confidence for the now 26-year-old, and if that World Series performance doesn’t give him something to feel good about heading into this season, I don’t know what will. There’s no reason Wright should be sent back to AAA again, which Alex Anthopoulos reiterated in an interview on The Bill Shanks Show.
“When we told Kyle he’d made the team two or three days ago, Snit and I were in there, and Snit told him there’s no reason for you to ever go back down to the minor leagues,” said Anthopoulos. “You’ve been through this enough. You’re ready to go. You’ve performed on the highest stage. You’ve had your ups and downs, and I agree with him.”
From the sound of it, the Braves will give Wright quite a bit of leash to begin the season, which is the correct decision. It’s time for the organization to find out what they have in him, and I believe that the decision to trust him will pay substantial dividends. The journey begins today, as Wright takes on the Reds in his first start of the season.
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Photo: David John Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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