Ray King
Relief pitcher
Born: January 15, 1974 (1974-01-15) (age 35) Chicago, Illinois
Batted: Left	Threw: Left
MLB debut
May 21, 1999 for the Chicago Cubs
Last MLB appearance
April 23, 2008 for the Washington Nationals
Career statistics
Win-Loss	20-23
Earned run average	3.46
Strikeouts	278
Teams
Chicago Cubs (1999) Milwaukee Brewers (2000-2002) Atlanta Braves (2003) St. Louis Cardinals (2004-2005) Colorado Rockies (2006) Washington Nationals (2007) Milwaukee Brewers (2007) Washington Nationals (2008)

Raymond Keith King (born January 15, 1974 in Chicago, Illinois) is a retired Major League Baseball relief pitcher. King stands at 6'0" tall and weighs 265 pounds. He bats and throws left-handed.

[edit] High school and college years

King attended Ripley High School (Ripley, Tennessee) and lettered in football, basketball, and baseball. In baseball, he won All-America honors as a senior. The lefty is also an alumnus of Lambuth University in Jackson, Tennessee.

[edit] Professional career

[edit] Early career

King's professional baseball career began on June 1, 1995 when the Cincinnati Reds selected him in the eight round of the amateur draft. The southpaw spent the next four seasons playing for minor league affiliates in the Reds, Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs organizations before finally making his major league debut on May 21, 1999 as a member of the Cubs.

[edit] Milwaukee Brewers

After two different stints with Chicago in 1999, King was dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers the following spring. During the 2001 and 2002 seasons the relief pitcher was a staple in the Brewers bullpen, appearing in over 75 games each of those seasons.

[edit] Atlanta Braves

That off-season, King was dealt back to Atlanta for infielder Wes Helms and pitcher John Foster. King showed his durability once again appearing in 80 games as the Braves primary left-handed reliever. He also made his first career postseason appearance that season, pitching a scoreless inning of relief.He was on the move again, however during the winter of 2003 joining the St. Louis Cardinals along with fellow pitchers Jason Marquis and Adam Wainwright.

[edit] St. Louis Cardinals

2004 was King's finest season in the majors to date. The rubber-armed lefty appeared in a career and team high 86 games for the Cardinals, and also notched career bests in holds (32), wins and earned run average along the way to a 5-2 record and 2.41 ERA. From May to July, King built a 30-game scoreless streak, another personal best. He also pitched 6 2/3 innings that postseason as St. Louis captured the National League pennant.

[edit] Colorado Rockies

King joined the Colorado Rockies for the 2006 season after a trade from St. Louis for outfielder Larry Bigbie and second baseman Aaron Miles.

[edit] Washington Nationals

King (right) talks to teammate Luis Ayala in 2008.

He joined the Washington Nationals on a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training the following winter. He made the Nationals 2007 Opening Day roster.

[edit] Milwaukee Brewers

In September he was acquired by the Brewers in exchange for a player to be named later to help with their playoff run. King completed the 2007 season with a 1-1 record and a 4.76 ERA in 67 games. He became a free agent after the season.

[edit] Washington Nationals

On November 30, 2007, King resigned with the Nationals to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. On March 22, 2008, King's minor league contract was purchased by the Nationals, and made the opening day roster.[1] King appeared in 12 games and went 0-0 with a 5.68 ERA during the month of April. On April 24, King was optioned to Triple-A Columbus, but he refused the assignment and declared free agency.

In nine seasons as a professional, King has appeared in 577 games and pitched 403 innings. He is 20-23 lifetime with a 3.42 ERA, 177 walks, 276 strikeouts, 130 holds and 2 saves. The infrequent batter is 0-6 at the plate, with three strikeouts.

King had minor problems in the organization, always playing for fairly decent teams.

[edit] Chicago White Sox

In early May 2008, King signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox, but was released after only four appearances.

[edit] Houston Astros

On May 29, 2008, King signed a minor league contract with the Houston Astros; he became a free agent at the end of the season.

[edit] Scouting report

A lefty specialist with a durable arm, King ranked amongst the top ten National League relievers in appearances from 2001 through 2005. Armed with a late-moving, low 90s fastball and sharp breaking slider, King pitches to the bottom of the strike zone and offers up few home runs. He is also adept at holding runners, and fielding his position, having committed only 7 errors in 577 career games.

[edit] Personal life

King resides with his wife Charie in Litchfield Park, Arizona during the off-season with his son Tyrell and daughter Brookelynn.

[edit] Facts

• Despite almost 600 career games, King has only 2 saves and never started a game.
• King holds the second most number of single-season appearances for two organizations; the Atlanta Braves (80 appearances in 2003) and the Milwaukee Brewers (84 appearances in 2001).
• King earned Milwaukee's Manager's Award and the Amanda Curran Award for Community Service in 2004.
• King went 328 games without issuing an intentional walk, spanning over 4 years. This is the longest known streak of its kind. On August 6, 2007, King allowed a leadoff double to Ryan Klesko in the bottom of the 11th inning and intentionally walked Dave Roberts to end the streak. The Giants eventually scored, and King took the loss. While pitching for the Atlanta Braves, King threw a wild pitch on an intentional walk that scored the game's winning run from third base.

[edit] External references

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or The Baseball Cube