Jason Ray
| IP | 367 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 3.531 |
| WHIP | 1.354 |
| BB/9 | 4.537 |
| SO/9 | 9.54 |
- Full name Jason Gib Ray
- Born 07/14/1984 in Albuquerque, NM
- Profile Ht.: 5'11" / Wt.: 210 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Azusa Pacific
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Drafted in the 8th round (251st overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 2005 (signed for $70,000).
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Ray, a Farmington, N.M., native and a former New Mexico sharpshooting champion, was unheralded in two years at San Diego City College. He was a right fielder his freshman year, but his big arm led to his taking the mound on occasion as a sophomore. Used strictly as a pitcher this year after he transferred to Azusa Pacific, his velocity soared to 93-95 mph, touching 96. Though there's effort to his delivery, he showed respectable command of his fastball for someone so new to pitching and generally held his velocity deep into games. His curve and circle changeup also made progress, but were inconsistent.
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Organization Prospect Rankings
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The A's decided to give Ray a chance to start in his first full pro season, hoping they might have another Rich Harden on their hands--a short, hard-throwing starter. Instead, they found out Ray is not a starting pitcher. His stuff didn't hold through more than three innings, and the A's will concentrate on honing his work habits, repertoire and approach to that of a reliever. Ray has big stuff, and his high overhand delivery (a leftover of his days as a junior college outfielder) creates natural deception. He has one of the system's hardest fastballs, sitting at 92-94 mph and touching 95. Secondary stuff has been a problem for Ray--he was moved to the rotation to hone it--and in that regard, the move helped him because his curveball improved over the course of the season. He made more strides with it in instructional league. It's still inconsistent, however, and he also gets in trouble when he elevates his fastball, which happened a lot in high Class A. Ray likely will return to high Class A to start 2007, this time in the bullpen, and he could move quickly as long as he throws strikes. -
Ray began his college career as a right fielder at San Diego City College, but his arm strength led to an experiment on the mound in his second year. He fired low-90s fastballs and showed a surprisingly effective curveball. Ray transferred to Azusa Pacific (Calif.) as a junior in 2005, becoming a full-time pitcher and seeing his stuff take another step forward. The A's took him in the eighth round--making him the third-highest pick in school history, behind big leaguers Paul Moskau and Jeff Robinson--and signed him for $70,000. Ray struck out nearly two men per inning in his pro debut, including a run of 32 strikeouts over 14 innings in his final 10 games. He has two plus pitches, a 93-95 mph fastball and a big breaking power curve. Because of his lack of time on the mound, Ray remains extremely raw for a pitcher with college experience. His mechanics are complicated and his control is spotty. He's also on the small side, so his fastball lacks much downward plane. Oakland is excited about Ray's potential but sees him as a reliever only. He'll begin the year in Class A.
Minor League Top Prospects
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A former sharpshooting champion in his native New Mexico and a right fielder at San Diego CC, Ray became a full-time pitcher after transferring to California's Azusa Pacific University. He has a low-90s fastball that peaks at 95 mph, and he might develop a second plus pitch in his curveball. He needs to speed up his curve, which breaks very slowly, and to improve his control. He shows athleticism and throws from a high three-quarters arm slot. He finished strong, recording 12 of his final 13 outs via the strikeout. "He's got a real good arm and looks like Rich Harden's twin on the mound," Decker said. "His stuff reminds me more of Chad Harville, though. It'd be scary if the A's had another Harden."
