- Chris Ray was a 3rd round pick of the Orioles in 2003, out of William and Mary.
- Made the majors in 2005 and was stunning–40.2 innings of relief work to the tune of a 2.66 ERA/1.279 WHIP/164 ERA+.
- The next season he was the Baltimore closer and continued to pitch well. He went 4-4 with 33 saves, posting a 2.73 ERA/1.091 WHIP/167 ERA+. He was 24 and the future looked bright.
- But relief pitchers man…they just don’t always last.
- In 2006 he had some elbow issues that would eventually result in Tommy John surgery.
- He was never the same pitcher again.
- Ray did have a nice bounce-back season in 2010 with the Giants and Rangers. He pitched 55.2 innings, posting a line of 3.72 ERA/1.311 WHIP/115 ERA+. But his lack of K’s (only 31) was a not a good sign.
- He was out of baseball by 2013.
Ray had a fine career with a couple of great seasons. He really should have been an All-Star in 2005.