MLB's next father-son duo? Robbie and Asher Ray want to be teammates

This story was excerpted from Maria Guardado’s Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

No current Giant has more service time than left-hander Robbie Ray, who is in the midst of his 13th season in the Majors. But the 34-year-old veteran has no plans of slowing down anytime soon.

In fact, Ray hopes to pitch for at least seven or eight more years -- mainly because he dreams of staying in the game long enough to play pro ball with his eldest son, Asher.

“I'll be 35 [in October], he'll be 11,” Ray said ahead of Father’s Day on Sunday. “That's seven years -- 42, it's not out of the picture to pitch that long. There are guys that have been able to do it. I still feel like I have a lot more to give to this game. It definitely is a goal of mine -- if he's 18, he gets drafted and he wants to go play pro ball -- to be able to have that opportunity.”

Father-son duos are nothing new in baseball, though it’s rare for their careers to overlap. Only two have managed to become teammates in the Majors: Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey Jr. with the Mariners in 1990 and Tim Raines and Tim Raines Jr. with the Orioles in 2001.

Ray would love to join that list in some capacity, though he said even getting the chance to take the field alongside Asher in a Spring Training game would be a dream come true.

“He kind of brought it up to me this past year and was like, 'Dad, how cool would it be for us to play together?’” Ray said. “I was like, 'You know, it would be kind of crazy to do that.’ It is a rare opportunity because you do have to play in this game for a long time for that to happen. But I just had Tommy John surgery [in 2023], my first big surgery. I have a brand-new elbow. It's not out of the question to play for seven, eight, 10 more years.”

While Ray has plied his trade as a pitcher, Asher’s favorite spot is center field, where he regularly shows off his plus speed and strong arm for his youth baseball team in Arizona, which happens to be coached by former Giants infielder Nick Ahmed.

“He's got some wheels,” Ray said of his 10-year-old son. “I’ve never been a burner in my life, but he can run. He causes chaos on the basepaths. It’s fun to watch him. He’s kind of getting to that age where it's getting serious. He's working hard at it, and it's fun to watch.”

Asher is already getting an early taste of the big league experience, as Ray often brings him around the Giants clubhouse and gives him a chance to participate in outfield drills alongside the likes of Jung Hoo Lee, Harrison Bader and Drew Gilbert.

“He takes it very seriously,” Ray said. “He loves it. The guys are really good with him, especially the staff. [Bench coach Jayce] Tingler has him out there doing outfield drills. Bader and Drew Gilbert, both of those guys are always on him. Jungy is his favorite player. He kind of took him under his wing and takes him out there.”

While Asher is still a preteen, his budding talent is already obvious to those around the Giants.

“I’m mad I’m not a college coach anymore, because [Ray’s] son is going to be one of the most highly touted recruits in the country,” Giants manager Tony Vitello said earlier this year. “I missed out on that one.”

Asher certainly isn’t afraid of the spotlight, as he famously stole the show after Ray won the American League Cy Young Award with the Blue Jays in 2021. Asher, who was 6 at the time, started making goofy faces at the camera during Ray’s live interview with MLB Network, adding a fun twist to his dad’s acceptance speech.

“He has a very big personality,” Ray said. “He's not scared of the camera. He's not scared of the big situations. That's something that is going to help him throughout his career.”

In addition to Asher, Ray and his wife, Taylor, are parents to 8-year-old Leighton, 6-year-old Brady and 2-year-old Sophia. Ray said being a dad to four kids has shifted his perspective and helped him better compartmentalize his life on and off the field.

“Before kids, it was tough to separate home life from baseball,” Ray said. “But regardless if you have a good game or a bad game, you come home and you're not Robbie Ray. You’re Daddy.

“That was the one thing that kind of just allowed me to just let go of everything that happens at the field. It helped out my career a lot.”