Jamey Wright

Jamey Alan Wright (born December 24, 1974) is an American former professional baseball pitcher.

He played for 10 different teams in Major League Baseball (MLB): the Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Tampa Bay Rays.

Wright batted and threw right-handed.

Jamey Alan Wright was born on December 24, 1974, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Growing up, he was part of three Little League Baseball championship teams.

An Oklahoma City native, Wright was a first round draft pick of the Rockies in 1993.

He attended Oklahoma City's Westmoore High School, where he was a second team High School All-American and the Southwest Region Gatorade Player of the Year in 1993.

As a senior that year, he had a 7–2 record and an 0.57 earned run average (ERA), with 94 strikeouts in 62 innings pitched, leading Westmoore to a third-place finish in the state tournament.

Wright also lettered in basketball at Westmoore.

He is the only baseball player from Westmoore to reach the major leagues.

Wright was drafted in the first round of the 1993 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft by the Colorado Rockies, the 28th overall pick.

He began his professional career with eight starts for the rookie-level Arizona League Rockies in 1993 and was promoted to the Class A Asheville Tourists in 1994.

Wright split 1995 between the Single-A advanced Salem Avalanche and the Double-A New Haven Ravens in 1995, then played with New Haven and the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox in 1996.

According to sportswriter Larry Stone, he "dominated" in the minor leagues.

He reached the majors with them in 1996 and was part of their starting rotation through the 1999 season.

In 1996, Wright made his Major League debut when he started for the Rockies against the San Francisco Giants on July 3, allowing one run in six innings.

He recorded his first major league win with a seven-inning start against the Giants on July 17, where he allowed only one earned run.

The pitcher also recorded his first major league hit that day, a double against Osvaldo Fernández, though he injured his knee when sliding into second base.

The injury did not end his season; Wright started 16 games (and made 1 relief appearance) in 1996, finishing with a 4–4 record and a 4.93 ERA in his debut season.

He had arthroscopic surgery to repair the knee, then slipped on some ice in the off-season, requiring a second surgery.

Recovered by 1997, Wright made the Rockies roster out of spring training.

He spent most of the season with Colorado, other than a stretch from May 15 through June 8 when he was on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation and a stint from June 18 through July 2 when he was demoted to Colorado Springs.

He turned in his first complete game with a 7–1 win over the Chicago Cubs on July 24, giving up a solo home run to Sammy Sosa.

He made 26 starts for the Rockies in 1997, posting an 8–12 record and a 6.25 ERA.

The 1998 season saw Wright spend the whole year in Colorado's starting rotation, setting what would be career highs in starts (34) and innings pitched (206 1⁄3).

On August 5, he hit a two-run home run against Francisco Córdova and pitched a complete game in a 6–2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

He had a 9–14 record, a 5.67 ERA, and 86 strikeouts.

Wright finished ninth in the National League (NL) with 235 hits allowed.

After posting a 7.58 ERA in his first four starts of 1999, Wright was demoted to Colorado Springs.

In 17 games (16 starts) for Colorado Springs, he had a 5–7 record, posting a slightly lower ERA at 6.46.

Recalled on August 2, he posted a 4.18 ERA the rest of the season for the Rockies.

Traded to Milwaukee before the 2000 season, he became the Brewers' Opening Day starter in 2001, winning a career-high 11 games.

After being traded to St. Louis during the 2002 season, he spent most of 2003 in the minor leagues, then pitched for the Rockies again in 2004 and 2005.

He was named the fifth starter for the Giants and the Rangers in 2006 and 2007, respectively, but both times he was removed from the rotation during the year.

After the 2007 season, he served almost exclusively as a reliever.

With the Rangers in 2008, Wright tied for third in the American League (AL) with 75 games pitched.

He spent 2009 with the Royals, split 2010 between the Indians and Mariners, and spent 2011 with the Mariners.

After a year with the Dodgers in 2012, he reached the playoffs for the first time in his 18th season, with the Rays in 2013.

He pitched one final year for the Dodgers in 2014, then retired after failing to make an MLB roster in 2015 and 2016.

In 719 appearances (248 starts), he had a 97–130 record and a 4.81 earned run average.