Mel Wright

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1954-1961)

Mel Wright was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1954 to 1961 for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs, a span of 8 seasons. Across 58 career appearances, he went 2-4 with a 7.61 ERA and 36 strikeouts.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 2–4
ERA 7.61
WHIP 1.74
SO 36
Pitcher PIV -538.5
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'3" / 210 lb
Born
5/11/1928 in Manila, AR, USA
Died
5/16/1983 in Houston, TX, USA
MLB Debut
1954-04-17
Last Game
1961-07-18

Full name: Melvin James Wright

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Pitching Statistics

Mel Wright — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
2 4 58 0 0 0 3 84.0 119 71 10 27 36 7.61 -538.5

Career ERA 7.61 vs. league average 3.94 across their career seasons — 93.2% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Mel Wright — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1954 SLN NL 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 10.1 16 12 11 4 10.45 3.90 (-168%) -1037.7
1955 SLN NL 2 2 29 0 0 0 1 36.1 44 25 9 18 6.19 4.00 (-55%) 333.6
1960 CHN NL 0 1 9 0 0 0 2 16.1 17 9 3 8 4.96 3.82 (-30%) 378.1
1961 CHN NL 0 1 11 0 0 0 0 21.0 42 25 4 6 10.71 4.03 (-166%) -212.5
Career · 4 seasons 2 4 58 0 0 0 3 84.0 119 71 27 36 7.61 — -538

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Mel Wright — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
58 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 .000 .000 .000 0

Career AVG .000 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OBP .000 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career SLG .000 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OPS .000 vs. league average .722 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Mel Wright — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1954 SLN NL 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1955 SLN NL 29 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
1960 CHN NL 9 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1961 CHN NL 11 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 4 seasons 58 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 — — — — 0

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (116 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Mel Wright — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home3170000.000
Away2740000.000

Pitching — Home / Away

Mel Wright — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home3147.1613718187.04
Away2736.258359188.59

Last 10 Games — Batting

Mel Wright — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1961-07-18 CHCSTLL 100000000
1961-07-06 CHCPITL 000000000
1961-07-04 CHCSFGL 100000001
1961-05-24 CHCPITL 000000000
1961-05-15 CHCSFGL 000000000
1961-05-13 CHCLADL 000000000
1961-05-06 CHCSTLL 000000000
1961-05-04 CHCSFGL 000000000
1961-04-29 CHCLADL 000000000
1961-04-18 CHCPITL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Mel Wright — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1961-07-18 CHCSTL — 3.0844000
1961-07-06 CHCPIT — 1.0666101
1961-07-04 CHCSFG — 3.0866100
1961-05-24 CHCPIT — 2.0311001
1961-05-15 CHCSFG — 2.0433121
1961-05-13 CHCLAD — 3.0321010
1961-05-06 CHCSTL — 1.1100000
1961-05-04 CHCSFG — 2.0211020
1961-04-29 CHCLAD — 1.0111100
1961-04-18 CHCPIT L 2.0422010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Mel Wright — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 58 0 12 14 0 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Mel Wright — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1954 SLN P 9 0 2 1 0 1
1955 SLN P 29 0 5 6 0 0
1960 CHN P 9 0 2 0 0 0
1961 CHN P 11 0 3 7 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Mel Wright — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 58

Mel Wright: the record in brief

April 17, 1954 and July 18, 1961 bracket Mel Wright's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Wright played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1954 through 1955) and the Chicago Cubs (1960 through 1961). At 6'3" and 210 pounds, Wright is listed as a pitcher. Wright both batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Wright was born on May 11, 1928, in Manila, AR, USA. Wright's death is recorded on May 16, 1983, in Houston, TX, USA. Mel Wright was the playing name; the full given name is Melvin James.

Wright went 2-4 with a 7.61 ERA in 58 games, 0 of them starts. Also on Wright's record: 36 strikeouts. Against a 3.94 league ERA for the same seasons, the 7.61 mark was 93.2% worse. In 1955, one of the busiest seasons, Wright posted a 6.19 ERA; the league figure that year was 4.00.

Every defensive appearance on record for Wright, 58 games, came at pitcher. On the mound, Wright's fielding totals are 12 putouts, 14 assists and 0 errors.

Frequently Asked Questions about Mel Wright

What years did Mel Wright play?
Mel Wright played in Major League Baseball from 1954 to 1961.
Was Mel Wright a pitcher?
Yes. Mel Wright pitched in the major leagues, recording 2 wins and 36 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Mel Wright hit?
Mel Wright hit 0 career home runs.
What was Mel Wright's career batting average?
Mel Wright batted .000 over his career, with 0 hits in 11 at bats.
What was Mel Wright's career ERA?
Mel Wright finished with a 7.61 career ERA, going 2-4 with 36 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Mel Wright have?
Mel Wright recorded 36 career strikeouts.