After a six-walk slog of an outing in Kansas City in mid-April – just his second start of the season – a switch flipped.
From April 24 to June 8, the 30-year-old threw 54.1 innings, recorded 76 strikeouts, and walked just five batters – a truly outrageous turnaround from a guy who led all of baseball in walks the year prior.
As the season went on, it wasn’t only the fans, the other team’s hitters or the BBWAA that took note of Ray’s excellence.
Ray’s talent is obvious, but MLB talent evaluators will have to decide if they think he can replicate his success year after year.
Multiple teams are rumored to be interested in Ray – the Angels and Blue Jays, among them – but they’ll have to gamble that Ray’s newfound command is here to stay.
The Angels inked flame-throwing right-hander Noah Syndergaard to a one-year, $21-million deal on Tuesday – the same day Toronto locked up workhorse righty José Berríos to a seven-year, $131-million extension.
Now a Cy Young Award-winner in an off-season where free agent starting pitchers are signing quickly, Ray is set to cash in on the best season of his career with a multi-year deal likely upwards of $100-million.