June 12, 2017
The @Braves love the #VandyBoys! @Kyle_Wright44 joining @LieutenantDans7! pic.twitter.com/fiJnpwGB0B
— Vanderbilt Baseball (@VandyBaseball) June 12, 2017
Nashville, Tenn. — Junior Kyle Wright was selected fifth overall by the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft on Monday night to become the 17th first round selection out of Vanderbilt.
The Huntsville, Ala. native is the 86th Commodores’ pitcher selected, 12th Commodore pitcher taken in the first round and 13th first round pick in the Tim Corbin era. Wright is coming off a junior season that saw him strikeout 121 batters in 103.1 innings while allowing opponents to hit just .216 en route to earning All-America and first team All-SEC honors. His 121 strikeouts this season rank seventh on Vanderbilt’s all-time, single-season list and his 290 strikeouts put him on the all-time career list at seventh overall. He wraps up a stellar career with a 2.78 ERA that makes him just the eighth Vandy pitcher to record a career ERA under 3.00 and is the fifth-best in program history.
Wright’s ‘dream come true’ on SEC Network
Wright joins Clinton Johnston (1998), Jeremy Sowers (2004), David Price (2007), Casey Weathers (2007), Mike Minor (2009), Sonny Gray (2011), Grayson Garvin (2011), Tyler Beede (2014), Carson Fulmer (2015), Walker Buehler (2015) and Jordan Sheffield (2016) as first round pitchers from Vanderbilt.
Wright is the first Commodore since Mark Lamm and Navery Moore in 2011 to be selected by the Braves. Wright also joins Mike Minor as former Dores drafted in the first round by Atlanta and joins former teammates Dansby Swanson and Philip Pfeifer in the Braves’ organization.
Welcome to #BravesCountry, @Kyle_Wright44! #BravesDraft pic.twitter.com/uLSNKATaPJ
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 12, 2017
With the 5th pick of the 2017 #MLBDraft, the @Braves select @VandyBaseball RHP Kyle Wright: https://t.co/1Y1xsU6873 pic.twitter.com/KLmWM37nxI
— MLB Draft (@MLBDraft) June 12, 2017
Kyle Wright becomes the 17th Commodore to be selected in the 1st round of the @MLBDraft. #VandyBoys pic.twitter.com/mfQ3Z6Yd6d
— Vanderbilt Baseball (@VandyBaseball) June 12, 2017
Astounding graphic of @VandyBaseball pitchers in the #MLBDraft, all under the tutelage of @browntown_vandy! #VandyBoys pic.twitter.com/AvXWr0uYok
— Brooks Webb (@brooksw44) June 13, 2017
Hall of Famer John Smoltz offers his analysis of @K
