Indians Top 100 Prospects: #56 Steven Wright

56. Steven Wright - Right-handed Pitcher
Born: 09/30/1984 - Height: 6'2" - Weight: 210 - Bats: Right - Throws: Right

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	K	BB/9	K/9	WHIP
2007	22	Lake County	A	4	7	4.61	14	14	0	66.1	61	34	9	15	75	2.0	10.2	1.15
	22	Kinston	A+	3	2	7.13	13	13	0	48.0	64	38	3	22	39	4.1	7.3	1.79
2008	23	Kinston	A+	2	4	2.99	14	14	0	72.1	59	24	6	17	61	2.1	7.6	1.05
	23	Akron	AA	4	3	4.30	14	14	0	75.1	80	36	14	17	58	2.0	6.9	1.29
		Career		13	16	4.53	55	55	0	262.0	264	132	32	71	233	2.4	8.0	1.28

History: Wright was a 2nd round pick in the 2006 Draft out of the University of Hawaii. He was the first of four 2nd round picks for the Indians in the 2006 Amateur Draft, but he did not pitch for the Indians in 2006 since he signed a 2007 contract. At Hawaii in 2006, he went 11-2 with a 2.30 ERA and in 109.2 innings only allowed 19 walks while striking out 123. He also was tabbed the WAC Pitcher of the Year in 2006, and also received the Russ Ford Award as the Cape Cod Baseball League's best relief pitcher in 2005.

Strengths & Opportunities: Wright throws a fastball that consistently clocks in at 89-91 MPH and has topped out at 93 MPH. In addition to the fastball he also throws a curveball, slider and changeup, with the best pitch in his arsenal the slider that grades out as a plus pitch. He has always had confidence in his slider, but he is starting to gain a lot more confidence in his curveball and starting to believe he can throw it in any count. He also has very good makeup.

In the offseason and in spring training the Indians worked with Wright's delivery and made some minor adjustments that seemed to pay off over the course of last season. The biggest adjustment was his mental approach where they got him to focus less on his mechanics and more on just attacking hitters and getting his fastball located in the zone. His struggles have centered mostly on a lack of good fastball command and leaving it up in the zone, which can spell doom for any pitcher. To make matters worse, his secondary pitches at times have been flat and not been effective. He needs to work on not only commanding his fastball better, but also keeping it down and working it on the inside and outside half of the plate.

Outlook: There are some who believe Wright's future could be in the bullpen where - like a Jensen Lewis - his fastball velocity could play up. While there are no plans at the moment for a move to the bullpen, this is something that could very well happen at some point this season. He has experience in the role, and he would welcome the change. In the meantime, he should open the 2009 season in the starting rotation at Double-A Akron.

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