Former ASU Pitcher Wright made MLB Debut Tuesday

Former ASU Pitcher Wright made MLB Debut Tuesday

JONESBORO, Ark. – Former Arkansas State pitcher Daniel Wright, who has spent parts of the last four seasons in the Cincinnati Reds minor league system, was called up, and started on the mound for the big league club Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers with first pitch from Dodger Stadium scheduled for 9:10 p.m. (CT).

Wright, a former walk-on, pitched for the Red Wolves from 2010-13 and made 78 appearances, fourth most in A-State baseball history, with 32 starts and a 4.19 career ERAwith 278 strikeouts. His senior year was fantastic as he earned First-Team All-SBC honors in 2013 after pitching to a 6-5 record and 3.18 ERA. He tossed three complete games and struck out 96 batters, fifth most in a single season in A-State history, against just 26 walks while throwing a leaguebest 110.1 innings.

The Bartlett, Tenn., native was selected by the Reds in the 10th round of the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft with the 315th pick. He is the third-highest AState player selected in the Major League Baseball Draft behind Jacob Lee (Pick 293, 9th Round, Cleveland Indians, 2012) and Bradley Wallace (Pick 307, 10th Round, Tampa Bay Rays, 2014).

Wright has played across five different levels since being selected by the Reds in 2013. He began this year in Double-A Pensacola and tossed 20 innings for the Blue Wahoos with a 2-0 record, 0.45 ERA, and 22 strikeouts against four walks before being promoted to Triple-A Louisville May 10. The right-hander made two starts for the Bats, with the last being a complete game on May 16 against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He faced just one batter over the minimum and allowed an unearned run on three hits with eight strikeouts against the RailRiders, the New York Yankees Triple-A squad.

Records indicate the start for Wright will make him the fourth player to have played collegiate baseball at Arkansas State to make it to the Major League level. The last player from AState to make an appearance in a MLB game was Matt Whiteside in 2005.