LA Angels Have a Question Mark in Daniel Wright
Daniel Wright was claimed by the LA Angels from the Reds in early September, and got mixed results throughout his five starts for the team. It remains a question whether or not they will keep the right-hander in their system in 2017.
The majority of the LA Angels faithful will not recognize Wright, as he only made a handful of starts. Wright threw 39.2 innings over his five starts for the Angels. Through these five starts, he had a 6.13 ERA allowing 57 hits and seven long balls while only striking out 21 batters.
It was not throwing strikes that was Wright’s problem, it was inducing a swing and miss. Of his 266 strikes thrown, only 32 were swing-and-miss strikes, with the rest coming from foul balls or umpire decision. This shows how easy it was for hitters to figure out how to hit Wright and hit well against him.
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When hitters did put the ball in play against Wright, it was not a good sign. He was not good at influencing ground balls or pop ups. This is proven by his 8% pop up rate and 37 ground balls. However, the most alarming stat for Wright is his line drive percentage, which stands at 28% of balls put in play. Line drives turn into extra base hits, which quickly turn into runs scored and losses.
The most positive part of Wright’s time with the Angels was his final start. Wright threw six innings allowing six hits, one run, no walks, and striking out five. He also threw a career-high 95 pitches in his first win as a Halo. This game also came against a Houston squad that gave the Angels fits all year. However, Wright was able to control the tempo of the game and get the win in his final start.
Does Wright deserve a roster spot in 2017? Probably not, he did not do much to earn one. However, with his final game being as solid as it was, he does deserve an invitation to Spring Training and possibly a spot in Salt Lake.
2016 Grade- D+
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