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Kyle Wren

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Kyle Wren
Outfielder
Born: (1991-04-23) April 23, 1991 (age 33)
West Palm Beach, Florida
Bats: Left
Throws: Left

Kyle Patrick Wren (born April 23, 1991) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He is the son of former Atlanta Braves' general manager Frank Wren.

Amateur career

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Wren attended Landmark Christian School in Fairburn, Georgia, where he played for the school's baseball team.[1] During his career at Landmark, he had a .455 batting average.[2]

In 2010, Wren enrolled at Georgia Institute of Technology, where he played college baseball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets baseball team. Wren led the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in hits during his freshman year, and earned the titles of All-ACC and freshman All-American during this first year.[3] After the 2011 season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[4] Once he became eligible for the 2012 MLB Draft after his sophomore year, the Cincinnati Reds selected Wren in the 30th round. However, he chose not to sign and instead, returned to Georgia Tech for his junior year.[3] Before the start of the season, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association named Wren a preseason All-American. As a junior, Wren had a .360 batting average,[5] and again led the ACC in hits.[3] Following his junior year, Wren was drafted in the 8th round by the Atlanta Braves.

Professional career

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Before the 2013 MLB Draft, Baseball America ranked Wren as the 210th best available prospect.[5]

Atlanta Braves

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The Atlanta Braves selected Wren in the eighth round, with the 253rd selection.[3][5] He began his professional career with the Danville Braves of the Rookie-level Appalachian League. After compiling nine hits and stealing three bases in five games for Danville,[1][6] he was promoted to the Rome Braves of the Class A South Atlantic League. During his tenure with Rome, Wren had a .328 batting average and 32 stolen bases. This resulted in his second promotion, to the Lynchburg Hillcats of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League at the end of the season.[1]

Wren split the 2014 season between Lynchburg and the Mississippi Braves of the Double-A Southern League. During the first half of the season, Wren was named to the Carolina League All-Star Team. He and Kyle Waldrop shared most valuable player honors.[7] After the season, Lynchburg named Wren their player of the year.[8] The Braves then assigned Wren to the Arizona Fall League.[9]

Milwaukee Brewers

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The Braves traded Wren to the Milwaukee Brewers on November 14, 2014, for minor league pitcher Zach Quintana.[10][11] The Brewers assigned Wren to the Biloxi Shuckers of the Double-A Southern League to start the 2015 season. In June, the Brewers promoted him to the Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.[12] Overall for the 2015 season, Wren appeared in 136 games, batting .272 with one home run and 39 RBIs.

In 2016, Wren again split time between the Double-A and Triple-A levels,[13] batting a combined .322 with two home runs and 39 RBIs in 127 games. He spent all of 2017 with the Triple-A Sky Sox, batting .286 with five home runs and 62 RBIs in 128 games. He started 2018 with the Sky Sox, appearing in 47 games and batting .294 with two home runs and 28 RBIs; he was released by the team on June 26.

Boston Red Sox

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On July 3, 2018, Wren signed with the Boston Red Sox, and was assigned to the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox. In 37 games for Pawtucket, he hit .230/.308/.318 with one home run and 15 RBI. Wren elected free agency following the season on November 2.[14]

Cincinnati Reds

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On December 7, 2018, Wren signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds. He was eventually assigned to the Triple–A Louisville Bats and released on May 7, 2019 after hitting .220 in 19 games for the Bats.

Sioux City Explorers

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On May 27, 2019, Wren signed with the Sioux City Explorers of the independent American Association. He re-signed for the 2020 season; however, the team was not selected by the league to compete in the condensed season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wren was not chosen by another team in the dispersal draft, and therefore became a free agent.

Coaching career

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From 2019-2021, Wren was an Assistant Coach at his alma mater Georgia Tech.

Personal

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Wren's twin brother, Colby, also played at Georgia Tech. Their father, Frank, was formerly the general manager of the Braves.[15] As of January 2021, their youngest brother, Jordan, is currently a free agent, having been released by the Greenville Drive on November 13, 2019.[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Kyle Wren strives to leave a lasting image on the baseball field". NewsAdvance.com. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  2. ^ "Tech's Wren learned patience from dad". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d "Braves draft GM's son Kyle Wren from Georgia Tech - updated". Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  4. ^ "#8 Kyle Wren - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "Braves select GM's son in the MLB draft - For The Win". For The Win. June 8, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  6. ^ "Elander, Wren promoted within Braves system". The Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  7. ^ Kevin, Tresolini (June 17, 2014). "Damon's diamond efforts honored". The News Journal. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  8. ^ O'Brien, David (September 22, 2014). "Wren will be remembered for a few bad contracts". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  9. ^ "Wren among Braves minor leaguers going to fall league". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  10. ^ O'Brien, David (November 14, 2014). "Braves trade Kyle Wren for minor league pitcher". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  11. ^ Bowman, Mark (November 14, 2014). "Braves deal prospect Wren to Crew for righty Quintana". MLB.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2014. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  12. ^ "Wren to Colorado Springs, Roache joins Biloxi highlights roster moves". MILB.com. June 16, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  13. ^ Magee, Patrick (June 28, 2016). "Wren swinging bat well at Colorado Springs". Sun Herald. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  14. ^ Eddy, Matt (November 6, 2018). "Minor League Free Agents 2018". Baseball America. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  15. ^ "Son of Braves GM Wren battles genetic disease". Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  16. ^ "Jordan Wren Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com.
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