Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 65 | Cutter: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45 

While Cal Poly might best be known these days as producing Twins prospect Brooks Lee, it’s generated some solid pitching talent of late, with Drew Thorpe (White Sox) a Top 100 prospect and Bryan Woo (Mariners) reaching the big leagues in 2023. Unlike those two, Wright is a lefty, one who redshirted his freshman year in 2022 because of internal brace surgery on his elbow, pitched sparingly in 2023 but took a huge step forward while assuming the Friday night starter role in 2024.

Wright is a smallish but athletic southpaw who stands out because of his ability to spin the baseball more than anything else. His slider is at least plus now, and some scouts think it could be a 70-grade out pitch in the future. It’s a hard and tight low-80s sweeper, often with more than 20 inches of sweep across the plate. He gets swings and misses in the zone and can throw it to get chases just as effectively. The rest of his arsenal doesn’t jump off the page in the same way, with a fastball that sits at 92 mph with a little arm side tail, a mid-80s cutter and a newer 85-mph changeup with some arm side life.

The left-hander’s ability to throw strikes has improved this year, and his premium athleticism -- he’s run a 6.5 60-yard dash -- should help him repeat his delivery and lower three-quarters slot. He doesn’t have the biggest frame in the world, and that, along with a lack of premium non-slider stuff, lead some to wonder if he can start long-term. He should be given the chance to by any team that takes him in the top five rounds, with the knowledge that his slider is already a big league caliber pitch that could work out of the pen.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40

Wright redshirted at Cal Poly in 2022 after having internal brace surgery on his elbow, then worked just 18 2/3 innings in his college debut the next season. He became the Mustangs' ace this spring and allowed two earned runs or less in 12 of his 15 starts. The Dodgers made him their first college pick (fourth round) in July and signed him for $553,800.

Wright's best attribute is his feel for spinning the ball, highlighted by a low-80s slider with plenty of sweep that gets misses inside and outside of the strike zone. He also can turn it into a mid-80s cutter and also has a solid upper-70s curveball. Because hitters have to be wary of his breaking stuff, they can't sit on his ordinary fastball, which usually works at 91-93 mph and reaches 95 with some armside run.

There are questions about Wright's long-term viability as a starter. He's not very physical at 6 feet and 170 pounds, his mid-80s changeup is too hard and features only modest fade, and his quality athleticism hasn't translated into consistent strikes for his pitches beyond his slider. If he shifts to a relief role, he could rely even more heavily on his slide piece and could follow Bryan Woo and Drew Thorpe who went from Cal Poly to pitching in the big leagues two years later.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	08/05/2024	LHP Jakob Wright assigned to ACL Dodgers.
	07/24/2024	Los Angeles Dodgers signed LHP Jakob Wright.
	06/16/2024	College Workout activated LHP Jakob Wright.
	03/13/2023	LHP Jakob Wright assigned to Cal Poly Mustangs.