Tigers Prospect Scouting Report: Chad Wright

It’s been awhile since I have done a scouting profile on one of the Tigers minor leaguers, so I thought it was time to get back to introducing you all to some of the players in our system. Chad Wright certainly doesn’t fit into the top 50 category at this point, though fans of the West Michigan Whitecaps should expect to see him performing in Grand Rapids this season. What type of skills does Wright have? Keep on reading to find out….

Background:

Chad Wright is a left-handed hitting outfielder that the Tigers drafted in the 9th round of the 2011 draft out of Kentucky. A 22 year old, Wright isn’t the biggest guy in the world, but he is put together well at 5’10” and 190lbs. Wright signed quickly with the Tigers, which was expected, and spent the entire 2011 season in Connecticut as one of the main guys at the top of the order for the C-Tigers. Wright wasn’t spectacular by any means, but he was solid for the Tigers, posting a batting average of .261 in his first campaign. His biggest strength though was getting on base, and Wright posted an OBP of .378 providing spark at the top of the order. He also stole 14 of 21 bases. Wright however didn’t display much power, as he had only 9 doubles and no triples or home runs.

Scouting Report:

Offensively, Wright profiles as a lead-off hitter. His best attribute at the dish is easily his plate discipline and should be able to get on base as he moves up the ladder. He has a short stroke that doesn’t generate much in the way of bat speed, and will have to generate extra base power by hitting the ball down the lines and up the gaps and legging them out. Wright doesn’t own top of the line speed, but it is good enough to be considered a little bit above average. He rarely goes out of the zone for the baseball, but doesn’t generate

leverage in the batters box. Wright does hang in against lefties well, and doesn’t appear to be affected one bit in that matter. There is no standout tool here, but he does everything well, except hit for power.

Defensively, Wright projects more as a LF and CF, though as he moves up the organizational ladder he should be playing them all. He gets pretty good jumps in center, and shows good range, but isn’t what you would call a plus defender. He has a solid arm that profiles better in center and left.

Verdict:

Wright is one of those guys that you have to watch day in and day out to appreciate. I see him in the line of guys like Jamie Johnson and Andy Dirks as guys who project as extra outfielders. He is going to have to hit for average though and get on base at a really high rate to succeed though, because he doesn’t have the pop that the aforementioned two guys has.

The ceiling isn’t great here, and at best he is likely to be an extra outfielder if he makes it to the major leagues.