Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
Spring training stats may not count toward the endgame of your fantasy squad, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn something about a players’ numbers.
Whether it’s an unheralded player who made noise in the Grapefruit League or an oft-injured veteran pitcher trying out a new pitch, those meaningless stats can give you valuable insight.
Robbie Ray has made eight starts since 2023, a season in which he was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery after one start. The left-hander returned in July last year and made seven starts (before a hamstring injury shut him down for good) in which he struck out 33.3 percent of the batters he faced and limited opponents to a .185 average. He also showed swing-and-miss stuff with a 16.2 percent swinging strike rate.
Though he did walk 4.4 per nine innings, he allowed two earned runs or fewer in five of his seven starts and struck out seven or more in four of those outings. His xERA (3.72) was nearly a full point lower than his actual ERA (4.70), and his velocity was at his 2021 Cy Young level, averaging 94.1 mph.