Mariners free-agent bust has found new life with NL West contender
Seattle Mariners fans will remember the excitement which accompanied the team signing Robbie Ray to a five-year, $115 million deal not long after he had won the AL Cy Young Award in Toronto.
Well, now the San Francisco Giants are experiencing something similar with the southpaw, albeit for different reasons.
Ray is off to an excellent start in Cactus League play, also unveiling a new pitch in the form of a changeup. He has made two appearances and thrown 5.0 innings, in the process allowing just two hits, along with no walks or runs.
However, arguably most impressive has been the 33-year-old’s ability to generate strikeouts. He has fanned nine of the 17 hitters he has faced. Evidently, the combination of his new changeup and a fastball which has touched 96 mph
Robbie Ray using a modified changeup in San Francisco
Interestingly, Ray did previously utilize another version of the changeup during his early days in the Majors before getting rid of it in 2016. The genesis for bringing back a modified version of the changeup came as a result of being impressed while watching video of the Detroit Tigers’ Tarik Skubal, who himself won a AL Cy Young Award last season.
Ray is still getting used to his new/modified pitch and working out when and how often to rely on it. As per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic (subscription required), the 2017 All-Star said: “I’m trying to figure out when’s the best time to throw it. I’ve been talking to [Logan Webb], been leaning on my catchers. Sam [Huff]’s done a great job catching me. I think we have a pretty good relationship, and he understands when I need to throw it and when to double up on it.”
