Bill Bray

For other people named William Bray or Bill Bray, see William Bray (disambiguation).

Bill Bray
During his tenure with the Cincinnati Reds
Relief pitcher
Born: (1983-06-05) June 5, 1983 (age 41)
Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
June 3, 2006, for the Washington Nationals
Last MLB appearance
July 30, 2012, for the Cincinnati Reds
MLB statistics
Win–loss record13–12
Earned run average3.74
Strikeouts188
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

William Paul Bray (born June 5, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds.

Amateur career

A native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Bray attended Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary.[1] In 2003, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[2]

Professional career

Washington Nationals

The left-handed William Bray was the 13th overall selection in the 2004 draft by the former Montreal Expos franchise which relocated to Washington, D.C. and was renamed the Washington Nationals. Bray made his Major League debut on June 3, 2006, against the Milwaukee Brewers in Milwaukee, earning a 1-pitch win.

Cincinnati Reds

Almost a month later, on July 13, 2006, Bray, along with infielders Royce Clayton and Brendan Harris, reliever Gary Majewski and starter Daryl Thompson were traded to the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Austin Kearns, infielder Felipe Lopez and pitcher Ryan Wagner.

Bray began the 2009 season with the Triple-A Louisville Bats after failing to earn a spot on the Reds' roster.[3] After only a few games in Louisville, Bray underwent Tommy John surgery to repair his left elbow and missed the rest of the year. Bray was called up from Triple-A Louisville June 27,[4] and made his 2010 debut with the Reds on June 28, 2010, pitching one inning vs the Philadelphia Phillies.

In six seasons with the Reds, with 2008 and 2011 being his best, Bray's record was 12–11 with a 3.72 ERA while striking out 172 in 174.1 innings in 258 appearances. On November 8, 2012, Bray elected free agency after a disappointing 2012 season in which he only pitched in 14 games.[5]

Return to Washington

On December 3, 2012, Bray returned to the Nationals on a minor league contract. He went to spring training with the Nationals, but on March 4, 2013, he was cut and sent back to their minor league camp.

Bray announced his retirement via his Twitter account on March 16, 2014.[6]

Coaching career

In 2015, Bray returned to Orleans of the Cape Cod Baseball League to serve as the pitching coach for his former team.[7]

Personal

Bray and his wife, Elaine, were married on December 2, 2006.[8] They have three daughters and one son.[9]

Following baseball, he returned to William & Mary to finish his undergraduate degree in finance. He graduated in May 2015,[9] and began attending William & Mary law school that fall.[10] He has also written multiple articles for Sporting News.[11][12]

In 2012, Bray shaved his head in an effort to raise funds for pediatric cancer.[13]

References

  1. ^ The William & Mary Alumni Association. William and Mary. Accessed 9 January 2011.
  2. ^ "2003 Orleans Cardinals". thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  3. ^ Reds Send Bailey to the Minors SI.com, April 5, 2009
  4. ^ "Cincinnati.Com | Cincinnati Enquirer | Cincinnati Reds » Bray called up, LeCure out". Archived from the original on June 30, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  5. ^ Polishuk, Mark (November 8, 2012). "Minor Moves: Bray, Valdez, Rondon, Hernandez". MLB Trade Rumors.
  6. ^ "Lefty reliever Bill Bray announces his retirement". March 17, 2014.
  7. ^ Conor Ryan (July 23, 2015). "Cape League characters: Bill Bray, Orleans pitching coach". capecodtimes.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  8. ^ "Bill Bray » Red Hot Mama » Making Javier Valentín a household name since 2005". Red Hot Mama.
  9. ^ a b "When it comes to his degree, Bray won't be shut out". William & Mary.
  10. ^ https://twitter.com/wpbray. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ^ "Bone spurs and braces: The reality of Tommy John surgery". Sporting News. February 11, 2015.
  12. ^ "Bray: 'Pitch Smart' website is a good resource for young pitchers". Sporting News. November 26, 2014.
  13. ^ "Reds pitcher Bill Bray to shave head for charity - wistv.com - Columbia, South Carolina". Archived from the original on April 27, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.