With a fresh start, this former first-round pick is thriving with the Royals
After being drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft, left-hander Cole Ragans had a promising 2017 as a 19-year-old but would then miss three straight minor league seasons from 2018-20 due to injuries and the cancellation of the 2020 season.
After a solid 2021 season, Ragans had a breakout 2022 season that led to his MLB debut getting nine starts for the Rangers last year. He opened 2023 with the Rangers but struggled with the transition to a relief pitcher posting a 2-3 record with a 5.92 ERA in 24.1 innings pitched before being demoted to Triple-A.
With the Rangers needing relief help they decided to cut ties with Ragans shipping him and then 17-year-old outfielder Roni Cabrera to the Kansas City Royals for relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman.
After a month of average play in the minors, Ragans was called up to the Royals. In his first start for them, he went five innings allowing one run while striking out three against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 15.
He was demoted back to Triple-A after the game, but on Aug. 2 the Royals recalled him from Triple-A and he has been flat-out dominant.
With eight or more strikeouts in four of his six starts for the Royals, Ragans is featuring fastball velocity that he failed to show while with the Rangers jumping from 92.1 mph last year to 96.2 mph with the Royals.
Reaching a career-high 101 mph in the fifth inning of his most recent start versus the Athletics, he showed velocity throughout his start hitting 99.5 mph on his last pitch of the game.
Taking a flier on Chapman this offseason and getting Ragans out of it could be a huge win for the Royals as they look to return to playing competitive baseball in 2024.
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