RADIO
Cole Ragans 2024 Outlook: Ace in the Making Likely to Struggle with Wins
11 months agoCole Ragans had a successful 2023, going 7-5 with a 3.47 ERA and 3.71 xFIP over 96 IP. He made 12 starts and 17 relief outings, a split that can be difficult to evaluate. Luckily, the now 26-year-old was much better as an SP (2.64 ERA, 21.7 K-BB%) than an RP (5.92 ERA, 9.4 K-BB%), so we can trust him to start. Ragans has a five-pitch mix highlighted by an outstanding fastball that posted an 11.9 SwStr% and 54.3 Zone%. Its 2,481 RPM spin rate and 96.6 mph average velocity support the results. He also possesses a wipeout slider (25.8 SwStr%, 42.8 Zone%, 48.4% chase rate) which offers upside if Ragans starts throwing it more often (just 9.6% in 2023). Ragans rounds out his arsenal with a change (18.8 SwStr%, 42.4 Zone%, 34.9% chase), cutter (9.7 SwStr%, 54.6 Zone%), and curve (8.6 SwStr%, 44.2 Zone%, 23.6% chase). Wins could be tough to come by, but Kauffman is a great place to pitch and the Royals ranked fourth in the league last season with 27 Outs Above Average. Ragans offers an intriguing combination of ceiling and floor at his current ADP of 112.75 if you don't need wins.
