Education
A native of Manila, Arkansas, who attended Ouachita Baptist University, Wright threw and batted right-handed and was measured during his playing days at 6 ft 3 in (191 m) (1905 cm) tall and 210 pounds (95 kg).
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Mel Wright
Edit ProfileCareer
Originally signed by the New York Yankees in 1950, Wright was traded with Virdon to the Saint Louis Cardinals on April 11, 1954, in a multiplayer transaction that sent eventual Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Enos Slaughter to the Yanks. But while Virdon enjoyed a decade-plus-long Major League playing tenure, Wright spent most of his pitching career at the Triple-A minor league level He did appear in 58 games with the Cardinals (1954-1955) and Chicago Cubs (1960-1961), winning two of six decisions, surrendering 119 hits in 84 innings pitched, and compiling a poor earned run average of 7.61.
In 1973, Virdon, then in his second and final season as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, named Wright as his Major League pitching coach.
Virdon then appointed Wright to posts with the Yankees (1974-1975, as bullpen coach), Houston Astros (1976-1982) and Montreal Expos (1983). However, Wright was suffering from cancer when Virdon asked him to join the Montreal coaching staff
He was hospitalized one week into the 1983 season and died of heart failure on May 16, in Houston, Texas, at age 55.
Achievements
Membership
He began his coaching career in 1962 with the Salt Lake City Bees of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, then was a member of the Cubs" experimental College of Coaches in 1963-1964 before becoming a Chicago scout, minor league pitching instructor, then Major League pitching coach for one season (1971) on the staff of Leo Durocher.
