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Mark Wright Q & A

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Mark Wright Q & A

 

By Patrick Hickey Jr

markwright1.jpg
Wright wasn't too happy with his season in 2006

Q: Which position player on the Cyclones team do you think has the highest ceiling and why?  What do you like about his game and what do you think he needs to work on the most in order to develop into a big leaguer?

 

A: “Right now I’d say Dustin Martin. He has all the tools; he’s what you’d call a five-tool player. He can hit for average, he can hit for power, he can run and he’s good defensively. Being consistent is what I’ve heard many of us have to do to in order to get to the next level and I’d say that’s the same thing Dustin has to do.”

 

Q: Which pitcher do you think has the highest big league upside and why?

 

A: “Eric Brown. He’s second in the league in ERA and that’s hard to do. Ever since he came here he’s been putting up great numbers, so you got to have great stuff to do what he’s done for us this season.”

 

Q: Who do you think is the biggest sleeper prospect, position prospect or pitcher?  Who do you think will fly under the radar, doesn't get the attention he deserves, but will become a quality big leaguer?

 

A: “[Ivan] Naccarata has been playing hurt pretty much all season. He’s got a problem with his hand and his ACL, but has continued to play well for us all season and has been driving in runs and playing well defensively in spite of that.”

 

Q: Heading into the off-season, what do you need to work on the most to be ready for next season and what will you be doing to work on it?

 

A: “I’m going to be working a lot on my consistency, not striking out as much, putting the ball in play and hitting more line drives. I also want to get into better shape and work on my speed a little bit to come back a better ball player for spring training next year. I’m just going to be running a lot more and spending a lot of time in the cages and throwing.”

 

Q: What would you say is your biggest strength as a ball player?  What do you bring to the field and to your team?

 

A: “I think I’m a power hitter that can bring runners home and hit balls out of the ball park on a consistent basis, if given the opportunity.”

 

Q: What did you think of your season this year?  How do you think it went for you?

 

A: “I’m not real happy about it. I haven’t gotten the playing time that I wanted and it’s really hard to put up big numbers when you’re not in there on a consistent basis. So on the whole, I’m not really happy about the season I’ve had, but it’s going to serve as great motivation going into the off-season.”

 

Q: To give our fans a better idea of the type of player you are, who would you compare your game to at the Major League level and why?

 

A: “I try and compare myself to power hitters that drive in a lot of runs that people want at bat when the game is on the line. When I was growing up, I really liked Ken Griffey Jr because he was this young stud that could do it all, I really admired him.”

 

 

All Photographs for this article were taken by Conroy Walker

To comment on this article, e-mail PatrickHickeyJr@yahoo.com