Yesterday, Houston's 26-year old right fielder Matt Wright clubbed 5 hits, scoring 6 runs and driving in 3, to help his Cavaliers to a 13-4 win over the Jacksonville Wolf Pack.
That is noteworthy enough game but even more interesting as it feels like a near repeat of a game from a little less than three weeks ago when Wright also collected 5 hits, leading his team to a much closer 3-2 victory over Columbus.
What is perhaps most impressive is that the Cavaliers picked up Wright off waivers from the Washington Night Train in the off-season after the 1980 season. He then proceeded to win the SJL Rookie of the Year in the following season, putting together a .303/.330/.472, 4.3 WAR 1981 season. Although he regressed a bit in 1982 with a 1.8 WAR season, he did hit a consistent .312/.344/.438 with most of his WAR slide coming from a switch from left field to right field where his defensive skills are more suspect.
Still, when you add in 22-year old budding superstar (future MVP) Alex Raymos (.340/.443/.640) in left field and the talented (but injury-prone) Gold Glover Chris Heisler in center field, you have a talented trio of young outfielders in Houston. The Cavaliers are off to a 4-10 start in 1983, but the future is promising and if one thing is certain it is that the current woes can't be blamed on Wright, who is doing more than his part.