Time To Buy In on San Francisco Giants Veteran Pitcher Bouncing Back This Season

A veteran San Francisco Giants pitcher looks to have regained his form this spring.

Mar 2, 2025; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Robbie Ray (38) pitches against the Los Angeles Angels during the second inning at Scottsdale Stadium. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Expectations aren’t very high for the San Francisco Giants with less than two weeks until they take the field on Opening Day.

That is life for a team that has been painfully mediocre over the last three years, winning 80, 79 and 81 games, while residing in what could be the toughest division in the National League.

There is a sizable gap that exists between the Giants and some of their NL West rivals. 

The defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers is the team every organization is chasing after reloading this offseason. The Arizona Diamondbacks swiped ace Corbin Burnes away from San Francisco in free agency and landed Josh Naylor in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians.

In 2024, the Giants finished 13 games behind the San Diego Padres.

They suffered a few losses this offseason, but was it enough to close that big of a deficit?

Only time will tell, but San Francisco made some upgrades of their own to try and improve their standing.

Signing shortstop Willy Adames and veteran starting pitcher Justin Verlander will help raise their floor and ceiling. But how much higher they go will be determined by internal development and some veterans finding their form.

One player the team will be counting on to have a big year is Robbie Ray.

The former American League Cy Young Award winner hasn’t quite been able to recapture that form. Injuries have played a part the last two years, as he underwent Tommy John surgery and has been working his way back.

Ray made seven starts in 2024, throwing 30.2 innings with a 4.70 ERA.

Certainly not inspiring numbers, but there was a few positives to take away.

He struck out 39 batters and had a 5.9 H/9 allowed, which was the lowest number in a single season of his career. He also did an excellent job of limiting damaging contact, with an average exit velocity of 86.8 mph and hard-hit rate of 35.9%, both well below league average.

All of the best parts of his 2024 campaign have carried over to the Cactus League, where he has performed at a high level.

Ray has thrown 9.1 innings, allowing only five hits and two earned runs. He hasn’t walked a batter and has struck out 17 of the 34 batters he has faced.

It is easy to understand why there might be some skepticism surrounding him, since it was four years ago when he won his Cy Young Award and has only accrued a 1.8 WAR since.

But, further removed from Tommy John surgery, this is the perfect time to buy in.

He should be motivated to prove doubters wrong and show that he is still more than capable of performing as a front end starter.