Jamey Wright The Gypsy, Lives Up To His Reputation

It looks like Jamey Wright has lived up to past expectations, and his reputation held true. The 38 year old right handed vagabond relief pitcher has had a well known history of not staying in one place for long. He didn’t stick around long with the Dodgers. After only one season and 66 games, Wright has left to pitch for another team. The 17 year MLB veteran has pitched for nine teams since his first season in the majors in 1996. It was very quietly announced the other day that the Tampa Bay Rays would become the tenth team on Jamey Wright’s lengthy resume.

Good Luck In TB Jamey!-Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The gypsy middle reliever signed with Tampa Bay, in what reportedly is on a minor league deal. According to reports, the Rays have also offered Wright an invite to Major League spring training. Wright pitched for the Dodgers last season as a long man/middle reliever, but once again will not be sticking around long enough to make a lasting impression. We wondered how effective the veteran would be, but Wright surprised us all by having a decent year. Wright pitched in 66 games for the Dodgers, posting a 5-3 record, 3.72 ERA, walking 30 batters, and whiffing 54 in 67.2 innings pitched. Wright made 900,000 dollars with the Dodgers last year. Financial terms of his agreement with Tampa Bay was not announced.

Wright has moved around so much over the years that he probably never has a forwarding mailbox. Wright was originally drafted by Colorado in the first round of the 1993 amateur draft. The veteran right hander has posted a 90-124 record, and a 4.89 career ERA. This includes a walk per nine, and whiff per nine rates of 4.4 and 5.1 respectively. Wright used to be a starter, but hasn’t started a game since 2007. Wright has been known as a late inning ground-ball inducer. He has command of many pitches in a large arsenal. He mainly throws a sinkerball, which helps him get a lot of grounders. His sinker can reach up to 92, while his cutter usually touches anywhere from 88-90 MPH. He has a very sharp curveball, a change-up, and a slider. His great curveball and sinker, allowed him to have a 13:1 ground ball to fly ball ratio during the first half of the 2012 season.

Wright was not only surprisingly decent last year with the Dodgers, but also candid about his travels around the league, and he had a good sense of humor. He often joked about himself having pitched with so many teams. One of the goals Wright had was getting to the postseason. Jamey has never been, and was hoping to break that streak last year with the Dodgers. Too bad we couldn’t help him out in 2012. I was wrong about Jamey Wright. He’s a solid pitcher, and we won’t forget his contributions to the Dodgers in 2012. He was one of the few pitchers that actually stayed healthy the entire season. He was very dependable.

Some players just don’t stay with one team for very long. That’s Wright’s M.O., and it looks like he’s continuing in his own tradition of hopping from one team to the next. He’ a wanderer, and you just can’t hold them down in one place for very long. Spread your wings and fly Wright! I was wrong about Wright, and we wish him luck in Tampa Bay. We hope Wright’s playoff drought finally ends this year, and he can make it to the postseason. Happy trails Jamey!