Top 25 MLB players to watch in October
16. Robbie Ray
Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo is going to have quite a hard time deciding which of his aces will start the NL Wild Card Game. He has the $206.5-milion man Zack Greinke and the explosive Robbie Ray to choose from. Really, Lovullo can’t go wrong. Greinke is 16-6 with a 2.99 ERA and is striking out 9.7 per nine, which is his highest mark since 2011. Ray is 14-5 with a 2.73 ERA and leads the NL with 12.3 strikeouts per nine.
Zack Greinke & @RobbieRay join Randy Johnson & Curt Schilling ('01, '02) as the only #Dbacks teammates to tally 200 strikeouts. #OurSeason pic.twitter.com/YVavfJuwX7
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) September 16, 2017
Since the scary line drive off his head, Ray has returned to absolutely dominate the National League. In five starts, he is 5-0 with a 1.39 ERA and has struck out 15.3 per nine while holding down his opponents to a .474 OPS.
Ray’s fastball-curveball-slider arsenal is one of the nastiest in the league. His slider and curveball are both whiffed on nearly half the time when hitters attempt to swing at them. Ray is still a relative unknown to most of the country as he pitches in Arizona, but a star turn in the playoffs could make him a household name.
If the Diamondbacks elect to use Greinke in the single-elimination game and get through to face the Los Angeles Dodgers, that could set up a matchup between Ray and Clayton Kershaw. Talk about must-see TV.