Jaret Samuel Wright (born December 29, 1975) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or parts of 11 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and Baltimore Orioles, primarily as a starting pitcher. Early life and education Wright was born on December 29, 1975, in Anaheim, California, and is the son of Clyde Wright, who himself pitched for nine seasons in the major leagues and three seasons in the Japanese equivalent. Wright graduated from Katella High School in Anaheim, where he also played quarterback and linebacker for the football team. He was named league MVP and High School Player of the Year by the Orange County Register and Los Angeles Times. Professional career Jaret was drafted out of high school by the Cleveland Indians in the 1st round (10th pick overall) of the 1994 Major League Baseball draft. Following the draft, Wright began his professional career with the Burlington Indians, the team's rookie league affiliate in the Appalachian League. The 18-year-old started in four games and had a 5.40 ERA. For 1995, Jaret progressed to the Class A Columbus RedStixx in the South Atlantic League, where he went 5–6 with a 3.00 ERA in 24 games. In 1996, he moved up to the Kinston Indians, the team's "High-A" affiliate in the Carolina League. He went 7–4 in 19 starts, with a 2.50 ERA. Baseball America rated Wright as its #22 prospect and was regularly mentioned by the Cleveland front office as one of the organization's top prospects. The following year, 1997, was a breakout season for Jaret. He started with the Akron Aeros, the Double-A in the Eastern League, where he went 3–3 with a 3.67 ERA. He was quickly promoted to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, going 4–1 in 7 starts and sported an impressive 1.80 ERA. On June 3, he pitched a 7-inning, 2-hit shutout against the Indianapolis Indians. That earned Wright a promotion to the big club when a spot opened up. Major leagues Jaret made his major league debut in 1997 with the Indians. The team was a top contender, having made the playoffs the prior two years and included a trip to the 1995 World Series. However, injuries to starters like Jack McDowell and inconsistency from Albie Lopez and Brian Anderson forced the team to bring up its top pitching prospect. Jaret found