When Vanderbilt pitcher Kyle Wright fell to the Braves with the No. 5 pick in Monday’s MLB amateur draft, the perfect scenario that Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson hardly believed possible came to fruition.
The Braves selected Wright, who was a Vanderbilt freshman in 2015 when Swanson was a junior on his way to being the No. 1 overall pick in that year’s draft. Swanson was traded to the Braves in December 2015.
“He’s phenomenal, man,” Swanson said Monday afternoon, when asked about the possibility of the Braves picking Wright later that night. “When I faced him when I was a junior, I thought he had some of the best stuff that I’d seen at that point in time, and I always said I never wanted to face him again. He’s added more velocity since then, and obviously he’s got a better understanding how to pitch.
Wright’s dad was his high school baseball coach.
“So he’s been around the game for a long time, knows the game, gets the game,” Swanson said. “And, like, you can see how he operates, like he played for a long time…like his dad’s a coach.”
Baseball America ranked Wright as the No. 2 right-hander in the draft behind California high schooler Hunter Greene, who was selected by the Reds with the second pick.
“There’s some separation factors when you see guys like that – (Wright) knows how to pitch, he’s got phenomenal stuff,” Swanson said. “He’s got a good two-seam with sink, a little cutter-slider, curveball and change-up. He’s good, man.”
Wright is the 10th Vanderbilt pitcher selected in the first round of the past 11 drafts.
“Strong kid. Has a good frame, great arm,” Swanson said. “He’s definitely what I would always want to have on my team. He’s got an understanding of what winning is like and what it means to be on a (winning) team and a culture. He’s somebody that’s going to make you better not only on the field but, like, as an organization. Which is what you want.”
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