Cincinnati Reds Spring Training Profile: Kyle Wren

In this ongoing series that will last most of spring training, we’re going to look at each player that will be in Major League camp with the Cincinnati Reds. Each post will have some information on the player. There will be some background information, profiling, projections, and more. To see all of the posts in the series, you can click here. Today we are going to look at outfielder Kyle Wren.

Kyle Wren’s Background

Acquired: 8th Round, 2013 Major League Baseball Draft by the Atlanta Braves. He was signed by the Reds as a minor league free agent with an invitation to spring training in December.

Born: 4/23/1991

Bats/Throws: Left/Left

Height/Weight: 5′ 10″ / 180 lbs

Years of MLB Experience: Zero.

Originally drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in 2012 out of Georgia Tech in the 30th round, Kyle Wren chose to go back to school. He was then selected in the 8th round by the Atlanta Braves the next year and signed. He had a strong debut, hitting .335 that year and has moved up over the years. Most of his career has been spent in Triple-A, but he’s never reached the Major Leagues. He’s the son of Frank Wren.

Kyle Wren’s 2018 Season

When the 2018 season began for Kyle Wren he was with the Milwaukee Brewers organization and in Triple-A Colorado Springs. He would only play in 10 games during April, spending two weeks on the disabled list. When he returned he picked up at the plate and hit .294/.357/.404 over 47 games for Colorado Springs. But at the end of June he was released by the Brewers. A week later he signed with the Boston Red Sox on a minor league deal and was assigned to their Triple-A team in Pawtucket. He had a tough July, hitting just .220. Things didn’t go much better over the next five weeks, either, as he hit just .239 the rest of the way. In his 84 total games the outfielder hit a combined .263/.333/.363, but it was most definitely a tale of two-halves kind of season.

Kyle Wren’s Playing History

In his debut season of 2013 he hit .335/.391/.472 between three levels – though it was mostly at the Low-A level. In 2014 he split his season between Advanced-A and Double-A where he showed a good average and on-base percentage, but didn’t show much power – going homerless. The next season he split time between Double-A and Triple-A. In Double-A Biloxi he hit .300 with a .370 on-base percentage, but slugged just .326. In Triple-A he struggled with an OPS of just .618. The next year he was in Triple-A Colorado Springs the entire year and made some strides, hitting .286/.364/.401 with 54 walks and 77 strikeouts. As we saw above, his 2018 season was inconsistent. In his career he’s shown solid plate discipline, but little power over the years.

Projecting Kyle Wren for 2019

Only ZiPS took a shot at projecting Kyle Wren for 2019, which was a bit surprising given his experience in Triple-A. The system didn’t look favorably for the 27-year-old outfielder.

ZiPS Projections | Steamer Projections | Marcels Projections

How could Kyle Wren fit in Cincinnati in 2019?

Things don’t look great for Kyle Wren with Cincinnati in 2019. He’s an outfielder in a spot where the Reds have a plethora of outfield options. And nothing really sticks out on his resume. He’s not an elite defender. And offensively he doesn’t stand out anywhere. He’s hit for a solid average in the minor leagues, but it’s come without any power at all throughout his career. He could provide some depth in the minors, but it looks like it would take quite a bit for him to get a chance to play in Cincinnati this upcoming season.