Kyle Wright

A product of a northern Alabama high school just north of Huntsville, Wright could go from undrafted in 2014 to the top overall pick in 2017. Wright was Vanderbilt's go-to reliever as a freshman in its 2015 College World Series runner-up team, then as a sophomore he gave Vanderbilt a 1-2 punch with Dodgers first-rounder Jordan Sheffield. He entered the spring as Vanderbilt's Friday starter after a strong summer with USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team. He got off to a slow start in 2017 despite a fastball that often sat 95-97 mph early on, but his fastball command improved to solid-average as he dialed it back a bit to 92-95 mph, and that opened the way for him to get to his plus secondary stuff. Wright's slider is a hard mid-80s pitch with late life and at times cutter shape that can be plus; his curveball, his preferred breaking ball, has plus shape and power at around 80 mph. Teams laid off the curveball early when he wasn't throwing his fastball for strikes, and he needs to land both breaking balls for strikes more consistently going forward. Some scouts prefer the slider over his curve, though Wright throws the curve more often. Wright's power changeup in the upper 80s flashes plus as well with late bottom, though he uses it fairly rarely. Wright's clean arm action, low-maintenance delivery and sturdy 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame help him maintain velocity deep into games, up to 94 mph even into the ninth inning of his complete games. He was getting better as the season went on, including a dominant 38-inning stretch in April and May in which he allowed just 15 hits and nine walks while striking out 44. Wright had moved to the top of the college righthander crop.