Welcome to the 2017 MLB postseason, baseball fans! You’ve spent 162 games with your favorite team, and now it’s time to watch the teams you haven’t paid much attention to. Who are these teams, and who are their best players? We can help.
Robbie Ray is the surprise ace the Diamondbacks never expected to have
Ray was a huge surprise for the D-Backs in 2017, but a welcome one.
Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images
Who is Robbie Ray?
Ray was a dominating starter for the D-Backs during the regular season, but this being his breakout year, he requires a little explanation for fans outside of Arizona.
What did he do this year?
Ray posted a 2.89 ERA and 166 ERA+ while leading the National League in strikeout rate with over 12 punchouts per nine innings. He made only 28 starts and threw 162 innings, but he kept hits to a minimum and struck out 165 opponents, making him the second-most successful starter in Arizona behind ace Zack Greinke.
How did the D-Backs acquire him?
Ray was originally drafted by the Nationals, which dealt the lefty to the Tigers in the Doug Fister trade that Grant Brisbee totally hated with good reason. Ray then was traded to Arizona in a three-team deal that also involved the Yankees, became a full-time starter in 2015, and is now 25 while looking like he’s going to stick around as a key piece for the Diamondbacks.
This doesn’t make the Tigers trading for him any more sensible, given where they were in their contention cycle, but Ray pitching well should make them feel a little better. Maybe.
Was he always supposed to be this good?
Ray topped out as the number 97 prospect in baseball before 2014, so no, he was not supposed to be this good. And really, Ray might not even be as good as his season suggests. He averaged 5-2/3 innings per start, which isn’t particularly ace-like despite what his ERA suggests, and he gave up far fewer hits (and a lower batting average on balls in play) than you would imagine is repeatable or sustainable.
On the other hand, if Ray is going to strike out a dozen batters every nine innings even as the other parts of his game balance out, he’ll still be pretty good. Not 166 ERA+ good, but pretty good. And that’s still a valuable starter, and one who can make or break a postseason series.
tl;dr
Ray sort of come out of nowhere to help make the Diamondbacks rotation one of the most fascinating and productive in MLB, and while he’s maybe not as good as some of his numbers suggest, there is more than enough here to justify making him a key piece of the D-Backs’ push for a second World Series championship.
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