Ryan Wright came into the 2012 season with some intrigue after a good showing in 2011 after being drafted in the 5th round. The Reds sent him to Dayton where he was the regular second baseman to begin the season.
Wright began the season with a 5 game hitting streak before going hitless over the next two games. He would go on to hit .277/.346/.362 during the month with good plate discipline as he walked 10 times and struck out just 12 times over 108 trips to the plate. The second baseman didn’t show much power with just four doubles and two triples, but the rest of his game was pretty solid.
While April was a solid start to the season, things really took off in May. In 113 plate appearances Wright went on to hit .349/.384/.491 with 6 walks and 14 strikeouts. His plate discipline was solid, although not as strong as the previous month, but his power output went up with 10 doubles, a triple and his first home run of the season. He also drove in 18 runs during the month. He had an 11 game hitting streak that ended on the 29th that included eight multiple hit games.
June was a bit of a step backward for Wright in his 87 trips to the plate. He would hit .272/.322/.420 on the month with 6 walks and 9 strikeouts, again showing strong contact rates. He hit for a little bit of power as well. His average dropped down on the month though, causing his other stats to also take a bit of a dive. Still, his peripherals were pretty good outside of his home run power where he finished up the third month of the season with just one home run for the season.
On the surface of things it appears that Wright struggled during the month of July as he hit just .243/.322/.427 in 115 plate appearances. However he drew 10 walks, struck out just 14 times and hit 4 home runs on the month. He saw some bad luck on balls in play that kept his average down, but he showed some home run pop for the first time during the season and continued with good plate discipline and a high rate of contact.
On August 3rd Wright got the call to Bakersfield after going 1-5 with Dayton in the first two days of the month. With his time in Bakersfield it was a bit hit and miss when it comes to things. The good is that he hit the ball over the fence five times during the month and drove in 16 runs. The bad news was that he walked just twice and struck out 17 times (with the Blaze). The plate discipline that he had shown all year, as well as his high rate of contact seemed to disappear for the month. Overall on the month he hit .267/.280/.505.
Wright and the Blaze qualified for the playoffs and took a loss in the first round in 5 games. He hit .250/.368/.438 in the series with a home run, 3 walks and a strikeout.
| Team | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG |
| Dayton | 429 | 389 | 53 | 111 | 27 | 6 | 5 | 50 | 14 | 1 | 32 | 51 | .285 | .343 | .424 |
| Bakersfield | 102 | 96 | 17 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 17 | .271 | .284 | .521 |
| Total |
531 | 485 | 70 | 137 | 32 | 8 | 10 | 66 | 17 | 2 | 34 | 68 | .282 | .331 | .443 |
Overall Thoughts
Wright had a solid, but unspectacular season. In Dayton he didn’t show much home run power for a polished college player. He however showed some of the best contact rates in the system and drew some walks along the way as well while showing off solid base stealing skills. When he went to Bakersfield he showed off more power, but his plate discipline fell apart. His year end totals are pretty good and if he can take them with him moving forward he has a chance to be a Major Leaguer. His contact rates are enticing, but I still wonder about his power output and just how much the California League played a role in what he did with the Blaze.
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