Dylan Ray

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #8 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Ray’s progression was slowed by a pair of major injuries—he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee in a high school football injury, then needed Tommy John surgery shortly after arriving at Alabama—but the D-backs saw enough upside to gamble on his athleticism. They drafted him in the fourth round in 2022. That bet started to pay off in 2023 as Ray showed he had the makings of a potential big league starter at High-A Hillsboro, though he still lacks refinement in a number of areas. His 22.5 K-BB% ranked first among Northwest League pitchers with at least 80 innings.
  
  Scouting Report: Ray’s fastball fluctuated throughout the season. It’s a four-seamer that sometimes sat in the mid 90s and touched 98 mph and other times averaged closer to 92 mph. The pitch gets on hitters thanks to good carry and deception. Similarly, his slider could be inconsistent, but at its best it is hard—around 91 mph—and tight with tilt. Ray’s changeup had been viewed as his fourth pitch but was surprisingly solid with good depth. He also throws a snappy curveball with depth in the high 70s but the pitch is inconsistent. Ray has good pitchability, showing acumen for reading swings, mixing pitches and adding and subtracting. He has a prototype starter’s frame that ought to allow him to be a durable innings-eater.
  
  The Future: Ray has all the ingredients to be at least a No. 4 or 5 starter. He might have more upside than that given his injury history and his relative inexperience on the mound. The hope is that he will be better equipped in his second full season for the physical demands of starting and can maintain his best stuff for more of the year. He is likely to open the 2024 season back at Double-A Amarillo.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50
• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #20 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Ray is a big-bodied righthander whose amateur career was derailed by a pair of significant surgeries, but he showed glimpses of his upside last summer, prompting the D-backs to take a chance on him. Ray tore his ACL in a football injury his junior year of high school, then needed Tommy John surgery shortly after arriving at Alabama. He logged just 31 innings in 2022, all of it in relief, for the Crimson Tide, then pitched another 11 innings in the Cape Cod League, where the draft-eligible redshirt freshman's performance ultimately won over D-backs scouts.
  
  Scouting Report: Ray was up to 96 mph with his fastball on the Cape, complimenting that with a power slider that has a chance to be plus and a curveball that projects to be average. He is working on incorporating a changeup. His stuff was up across the board on the Cape, and his ability to throw three pitches for strikes helped convince the D-backs he had the potential to start. Ray's injuries appeared to take a toll on his athleticism, but the D-backs saw glimpses of it returning and hope he will look even better the further he gets from his surgeries. He has relatively low mileage on his arm, which could translate into more potential for development.
  
  The Future: Ray worked strictly in relief at Alabama, but the D-backs plan to give him a chance to start. With a loose arm, functional delivery and prototypical pitcher's frame, they see a potential innings-eater if it all comes together. Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Curveball: 50. Slider: 60. Changeup: 45. Control: 50.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #306 prospect in 2020 draft
  Ray is a physical, two-way player with plenty of football in his background as well, but scouts are intrigued with his potential on the mound. He doesn’t have a ton of innings under his belt but has a chance to be an impact reliever with a fastball that sits in the low 90s and has been up to 96 at its best with a curveball that flashes plus. The breaking ball is inconsistent, but when Ray throws it right, the pitch has impressive power and depth. Listed at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, Ray is already close to physically maxed out and he has below-average command at the moment, which could limit his upside. Additionally he has dealt with an ACL injury that could raise medical concerns. Ray is committed to Alabama and will be 19 by draft time.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Ray is a big-bodied righthander whose amateur career was derailed by a pair of significant surgeries, but he showed glimpses of his upside last summer, prompting the D-backs to take a chance on him. Ray tore his ACL in a football injury his junior year of high school, then needed Tommy John surgery shortly after arriving at Alabama. He logged just 31 innings in 2022, all of it in relief, for the Crimson Tide, then pitched another 11 innings in the Cape Cod League, where the draft-eligible redshirt freshman's performance ultimately won over D-backs scouts.
  
  Scouting Report: Ray was up to 96 mph with his fastball on the Cape, complimenting that with a power slider that has a chance to be plus and a curveball that projects to be average. He is working on incorporating a changeup. His stuff was up across the board on the Cape, and his ability to throw three pitches for strikes helped convince the D-backs he had the potential to start. Ray's injuries appeared to take a toll on his athleticism, but the D-backs saw glimpses of it returning and hope he will look even better the further he gets from his surgeries. He has relatively low mileage on his arm, which could translate into more potential for development.
  
  The Future: Ray worked strictly in relief at Alabama, but the D-backs plan to give him a chance to start. With a loose arm, functional delivery and prototypical pitcher's frame, they see a potential innings-eater if it all comes together. Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Curveball: 50. Slider: 60. Changeup: 45. Control: 50.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Ray is a big-bodied righthander whose amateur career was derailed by a pair of significant surgeries, but he showed glimpses of his upside last summer, prompting the D-backs to take a chance on him. Ray tore his ACL in a football injury his junior year of high school, then needed Tommy John surgery shortly after arriving at Alabama. He logged just 31 innings in 2022, all of it in relief, for the Crimson Tide, then pitched another 11 innings in the Cape Cod League, where the draft-eligible redshirt freshman's performance ultimately won over D-backs scouts.
  
  Scouting Report: Ray was up to 96 mph with his fastball on the Cape, complimenting that with a power slider that has a chance to be plus and a curveball that projects to be average. He is working on incorporating a changeup. His stuff was up across the board on the Cape, and his ability to throw three pitches for strikes helped convince the D-backs he had the potential to start. Ray's injuries appeared to take a toll on his athleticism, but the D-backs saw glimpses of it returning and hope he will look even better the further he gets from his surgeries. He has relatively low mileage on his arm, which could translate into more potential for development.
  
  The Future: Ray worked strictly in relief at Alabama, but the D-backs plan to give him a chance to start. With a loose arm, functional delivery and prototypical pitcher's frame, they see a potential innings-eater if it all comes together. Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Curveball: 50. Slider: 60. Changeup: 45. Control: 50.