Jim Wright (wrighji03)

James Leon Wright

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 5", Weight 205 lb.
• School Missouri Western State University
• High School Benton High School (St. Joseph)
• Debut April 22, 1981
• Final Game May 15, 1982
• Born March 3, 1955 in St. Joseph, MO USA

BR page

Biographical Information

While in the minors, pitcher Jim Wright threw a pair of no-hitters: the first for the Auburn Phillies in 1974, the second with the Spartanburg Phillies the next year. In 1977, he was American Association Pitcher of the Year while playing for the Oklahoma City 89ers. He missed the entire 1979 season due to injury and was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 1980 Rule V Draft the following year. He had cups of coffee in the majors with the Royals in 1981 and 1982. He was then traded to the Chicago Cubs and spent 1983 in their organization before retiring after the season due to arm injuries.

After his playing days, Wright was a minor league coach in the Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies farm systems. He was a coach for the Peoria Chiefs in 1985-1986, moved up to the (AA) Pittsfield Cubs in 1987, and by 1988-1989 he was the pitching coach for the (AAA) Iowa Cubs. In 1990, he moved to the Phillies' organization, becoming the pitching coach for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, a position he would keep through 1996.

In 1996, he spent part of the year on the Phillies big league coaching staff, filling in for pitching coach Johnny Podres, who was ill. He then moved on to the Colorado Rockies organization as coach of the New Haven Ravens (AA) in 1997-1998. He was promoted to the (AAA) Colorado Springs Sky Sox, where he coached from 1999 through 2001, and was the big league team's pitching coach in 2002. From 2003 to 2008, Wright was the Rockies' Minor League pitching coordinator. In 2009 he returned to the big league staff as the Rockies' bullpen coach, a position he held for a few season before becoming the Rockies' pitching coach. He was let go after the 2014 season.

He is not to be confused with his contemporary, pitcher Jim Wright, who played for the Boston Red Sox in 1978 and 1979.

Notable Achievements

• 1977 Pitcher of the Year American Association Oklahoma City 89ers

Further Reading

• Nathan Baliva: "Peoria Chiefs News: MLB Playoffs Begin with Strong Chiefs Presence", minorleaguebaseball.com, October 7, 2009 [1]
• Don Bostrom: "Phillies Pitching Coach Takes Leave of Absence", The Morning Call (Allentown, PA), April 20, 1996 [2]
• Jerome Holtzman: "Lancaster at the Fore of Cubs' Relief Corps", Chicago Tribune, August 8, 1989 [3]
• Steve Lowery: "Minor League Notebook: Former Canyon Pitching Star Damian Learning to Go at a Slower Pace", Los Angeles Times, July 14, 1988 [4]

Related Sites

• Mlb.com biography