Glenn Wright

Glenn Wright
Shortstop
Born: February 6, 1901
Archie, Missouri
Died: April 6, 1984 (aged 83)
Olathe, Kansas
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 15, 1924 for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Last MLB appearance
June 4, 1935 for the Chicago White Sox
Career statistics
Batting average .294
Home runs 94
Runs batted in 723
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Forest Glenn Wright (February 6, 1901 in Archie, Missouri – April 6, 1984), nicknamed "Buckshot", was a professional baseball player. He played all or part of eleven seasons in Major League Baseball between 1924 and 1935, primarily as a shortstop. Wright played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Brooklyn Dodgers, and Chicago White Sox.

Career

Wright was a standout minor league player for the Kansas City Blues in 1922-23. In his major league rookie year, he set the record for most assists (601) in a season which stood for 56 years (until broken by Ozzie Smith in 1980). On May 7, 1925, he recorded an unassisted triple play against the Cardinals, tagging out Jimmy Cooney and future Hall of Famers Jim Bottomley and Rogers Hornsby. That same year he came in 4th in NL MVP voting behind Hornsby, Kiki Cuyler, and George Kelly. The 1925 season also marked the Pittsburgh Pirates winning the World Series against the Washington Senators. Wright was selected by The Sporting News to the first All Star team in 1925 as shortstop.

In 1927, Wright and the Pirates returned to the World Series but were defeated in four straight games by the New York Yankees.

1933 Goudey baseball card of Glenn Wright

Wright was traded to the Brooklyn Robins in 1928 and named team captain the following season. His tenure in Brooklyn coincided with the name change from Brooklyn Robins to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1932. Considered a premier shortstop of his generation, Wright suffered a major injury to his shoulder in 1929 which plagued him from then on and contributed to his relatively short career.

He was released by the Dodgers after the 1933 season and rejoined the Blues for a season. In 1935, he was purchased from Kansas City by the White Sox, but was let go after hitting .120 in nine games. He continued to play in the minor leagues until 1939, mostly with the Wenatchee Chiefs of the International League, before retiring.

Wright finished his career with 1219 hits, 94 home runs, 723 runs batted in and a batting average of .294 over 11 seasons (4153 at bats). He spent the years after his playing days ended as a scout working for the Boston Red Sox until his retirement in 1974.

Sources