2016 San Francisco Giants Bullpen Gets A Huge Boost: Ray Black Is Finally Ready To Rumble


San Francisco Giants fans may finally be getting what they have been waiting on for years: a relief pitcher that will be able to strike fear into the hearts of opposing batters like no one else in the league. Enter Ray Black.

Black is an extremely promising San Francisco reliever who can throw 100mph or faster and muster up a wicked curve — CSN Bay Area calls him “the prospect who might be the hardest-throwing right hander in baseball.”

Unfortunately, Black has been injured almost constantly since he was drafted by San Francisco in 2011 and has not even had time to attend much of the Giants minor league training camp.

The string of mishaps that have kept San Francisco’s potential ace perpetually out of commission have not been your run-of-the-mill sports injuries, either. During his sophomore year at the University of Pittsburgh, for example, Black and his roommate were assaulted during a robbery. The robber gave Black a fractured right hand to go with the torn right meniscus he had already suffered in a recent workout. And for a right-handed pitcher, those kinds of double injuries to your right arm are quite the show-stopper.

According to the official site of the San Francisco Giants, though, Black is healthy, and his raw power is finally getting a chance to shine through at San Francisco’s 2016 spring training.

“Honestly, he’s special,” said Aramis Garcia, a catcher for the Giants and one of their hottest young prospects.

“The way he pitches, it’s really unbelievable. And it’s a lot of fun to catch. Whenever you see somebody that gifted on a baseball field, just to see what they do and getting first-hand to watch him pitch, it really is a great experience.”

San Francisco Giants' Ray Black is the future of MLB relief pitching?
Hunter Strickland may be the Giants bullpen’s current ace (at least, in the opinion of ‘McCovey Chronicles’), but it may be time for him to surrender the title. [Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images]
Giants manager Bruce Bochy loves what he is seeing from Ray Black as well, adding that his delivery, which has previously looked strenuous and unsteady, is finally looking like a natural MLB pitcher’s follow-through.

“I really like his delivery. It’s smooth. He doesn’t put a lot of effort in it. Knock on wood, we keep him healthy.”

Although he has been pitching in San Francisco’s minor league circuit since he was drafted (with the exception of a very short stint on the Giants at the start of the 2014 season), he has certainly risen to the task now that he has been thrust into the big leagues, and Black’s ability to take on his increased responsibility manifests itself in his incredible performance.

In the nine innings he has pitched at the San Francisco Giants’ 2016 Scottsdale camp, in fact, he has struck out 16 and recorded a 2.00 ERA. Admittedly, all of his pitching outings have only lasted for one inning, but even so, those numbers are incredible, especially for someone who was almost entirely relegated to the minors until this year.

Although San Francisco’s bullpen has been looking up as of late, writes McCovey Chronicles, it is far from being able to boast a relief megastar like the 2004 Los Angeles Dodgers Eric Gagne or the 2009 Boston Red Sox Jonathan Papelbon. Ray Black certainly has the confidence, credentials, and teammate support that he needs to be one of those stars if he can keep it up without getting injured again, and he recently voiced his optimism that this healthy streak is not just a fluke.

“I feel like I’m moving in the right direction for once. Sometimes you get hurt and you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m going backwards again.’ Some guys’ careers are a steady incline and mine’s been a roller-coaster ride, that’s for sure. From where I started and where I’ve gotten to now, there’s still a little bit to go, but I definitely feel closer.”

It sounds like Giants fans have something to get excited about for the San Francisco Giants 2016 season.

And if nothing else, Black is certainly an excellent sleeper for your 2016 fantasy baseball roster.

[Photo by Rob Tringali/Getty Images]

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