This third installment of The Center Prong focuses on SS Russ Ray. At just 23 years old, Ray has been a standout performer in his 5 seasons with Amsterdam. With a cumulative WAR over 19, and topping 5 in two different seasons, there's much to love about the 1.8m (5'11'') shortstop, but as we will see, it's not all peaches and cream.
Russ was born in the small valley town of Coamo in Puerto Rico. The town has a long, rich history, originally named "San Blas Illescas de Coamo" by it's first settlers and was officially founded as a municipality in 1597. He grew up on the small family farm where his parents grew quenepa, also called Spanish lime. Coamo is primarily an agricultural town, and his parents were proud of their heritage and strict in the upbringing of their five children, of which Russ was the 3rd. Russ was never quite as fond of the farm life as the rest of his family and could often be found playing ball with other children in the neighborhood. It is speculated that the small quenepas that were used for these games contributed to his skill with the bat, and growing up without a glove certainly helped develop his sure hands at shortstop.
As he grew older he tried to spend as much time as possible at the host springs called Los Banos de Coamo, a popular tourist spot in town. Rumor has it, he would always be on the lookout for "las jueras bonitas," or the beautiful white girls from the US that would vacation in Coamo. His mother frowned on this practice though, much preferring that he spend his free time at Iglesia San Blas de Illescas or the historic Pico Pomar Residence. It is suspected that tension between him and his parents led to his selfish behavior, and his focus on playing ball to his below average intelligence.
Nevertheless, at the age of 16, on 24/05/2018 he joined the International Complex of your very own Amsterdam Neptunes organization. A raw, but high potential prospect his first OSA evaluation offered 4(6)Contact/2(6)Power/2(5)Eye Ratings. After spending the 2018 and -19 seasons in the IC, Ray got off to a hot start in the 2020 season with the AAA club, posting a .325/.429/.489 line in 280 PA. Even better numbers in the first half of 2021 led to a late season call up to the bigs where he struggled relative to his minor league numbers but still delivered a line that was impressive for a 19 year old - .256/.314/.364. As the 2022 season opened up, Ray was the primary SS for the Neptunes, playing in 137 games with 133 starts with 3.6 WAR, a good chunk coming from his superb defense, as he had not yet reached his batting prime. He was however selected to his first EBA All-Star Game.
In 2023, OSA indicated that his ratings had reached their potential (save 1 point in power) and he broke out to the tune of .335/.372/.528 in 506 PA with 12 HR, 11 3B (EBA Leading) and 32 2B. He was selected to his second All-Star game in this 5.8 WAR season. The switch hitting Ray was now firmly established as a young star of the EBA, but he was never the most popular in the clubhouse. Teammates declined to speak about their feelings toward Ray, but rumors of discontent seem to follow him around. We do not bring this up to discredit the young man's performance on the field, only to paint a just picture of the man as a whole. Ray's 2024 and 2025 seasons did not fall short of the lofty expectations that were undoubtedly set upon him. In 135 games in 2024, he hit 33 doubles, 11 home runs and slashed .298/.346/.453. In 2025, likely his final season in Amsterdam he improved his power, slugging 35 doubles 19 homers and slashing .305/.367/.467. As usual, his fielding continued to shine posting a .991 fielding percentage to go along with his +12.7 zone rating, best among SS in the EBA.
All signs point to a young star who still has the potential to improve, and his next challenge will come in North America. He will likely be the first or second player off the board in the 2025-2026 MBBA Rule 6 Draft and have an opportunity to shine in the world's premier baseball league. Given his age and ability, he has the potential to play a decade or more in the MBBA. The Amsterdam management wishes him the best of luck, and it's no secret that the fans hope to see him in Neptunes blue again before he retires from baseball.
