Dequam LaWesley Wright (born January 28, 1985) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

, and

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

Early life

Wright was born in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

, and he grew up in a Montgomery County community known as Grady. He attended Goshen High School. He was selected by the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

in the 7th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft. He had a scholarship offer from the

University of South Alabama The University of South Alabama (USA) is a public research university in Mobile, Alabama. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in May, 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. The first ...

, but he signed with the Dodgers organization in June 2003.

Professional career

Los Angeles Dodgers

He made his professional debut with the

Ogden Raptors The Ogden Raptors are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Ogden, Utah and play their home games at Lindquist Field. Pitche ...

in the Pioneer League in 2004 and played for the

Columbus Catfish The Columbus Catfish were a minor league baseball team in Columbus, Georgia. They were a Class A team in the South Atlantic League, and were an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays for the 2007 in baseball, 2007 and 2008 in baseball, 2008 seasons. The ...

and

Vero Beach Dodgers Vero may refer to: Geography * Vero Beach, Florida, a city in the United States * Vero, Corse-du-Sud, a commune of France in Corsica Other * ''Véro'', a talk show on the Radio-Canada television network * Vero (app), a social media company co-found ...

in 2005. With Columbus, he pitched in 30 games and accumulated a 1.93 era as a relief pitcher. In 2006, he pitched in 25 games with Vero Beach, acquiring a 1.48 era and was promoted to the

Jacksonville Suns The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...

, where he began 2007 before a mid-season promotion to the Las Vegas 51s.

Houston Astros

In December 2007, he was selected by the

in the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Wright made the Astros opening day roster as the only left-handed pitcher in the bullpen. On March 31, 2008, Wright made his major league debut against the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

and pitched 1/3 of a scoreless inning. Wright collected his first major league win on April 4, 2008, against the

after pitching 1/3 of a scoreless inning again. He collected his first major league save on July 29, 2008, against the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

coming in during 9th inning with two outs, and recorded the final out of the game for the save. On July 16, 2009, Wright was called in to pitch in a game against the Cubs in the second inning after starter

Roy Oswalt Roy Edward Oswalt (; born August 29, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Oswalt played for the majority of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Houston Astros. He also played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Texa ...

was forced from the game by a strained back. Wright batted in the top of the third inning and singled to left field for his first Major League hit. Later that night, it was reported that he was rushed to the hospital after showing signs of

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...

. He was diagnosed with

dehydration In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water, with an accompanying disruption of metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds free water intake, usually due to exercise, disease, or high environmental temperature. Mil ...

Tampa Bay Rays

On August 12, 2013 he was traded to the

for cash considerations. With Tampa Bay, Wright made his playoff debut in 2013, appearing in two games of the Rays' ALDS matchup with the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

. After the season, Wright was non-tendered by Tampa Bay, making him a free agent.

Chicago Cubs

On December 4, 2013 he agreed to a one-year, $1.425 million deal to pitch for the

. The contract became official on December 16, 2013. He was non-tendered by the Cubs on December 2, 2014.

Baltimore Orioles

On December 16, 2014 he agreed to a one-year deal to pitch for the

. Wright was designated for assignment on July 15, 2015.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

On July 29, 2015, Wright signed a minor league deal with the

Boston Red Sox

Wright joined the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

for 2016 spring training, and was released on March 28, 2016. On April 12 he signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox and was assigned to Triple-A

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

, where he appeared in 19 games and was released on July 11.

Texas Rangers

On January 27, 2017, Wright signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. He was released on July 23, 2017.

Retirement

On November 11, 2017, it was announced Wright had decided to retire and take a job as a pro scout with the Minnesota Twins.

References

External links

Wesley Wright
at Baseball Almanac {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Wesley 1985 births Living people African-American baseball players Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Montgomery, Alabama Chicago Cubs players Columbus Catfish players Gulf Coast Dodgers players Houston Astros players Jacksonville Suns players Las Vegas 51s players Los Angeles Angels players Major League Baseball pitchers Minnesota Twins scouts Norfolk Tides players North Shore Honu players Ogden Raptors players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Pawtucket Red Sox players Peoria Saguaros players Round Rock Express players Salt Lake Bees players Tampa Bay Rays players Toros del Este players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Vero Beach Dodgers players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people