BREAKING NEWS: Kansas City Royals key player Cole Ragans has terminated his contract that worth $76.2 million with…
After Cole Ragans’ run of dominance to end 2023, I was cautiously optimistic that the Royals had truly found something. Expecting someone with his track record to continue the 2.70 ERA with peripherals to back it up over the last 11 starts last season seemed way too optimistic. My expectations of any pitching prospect for the Royals is heavily biased downward because of history. Ragans is just one of many arrows pointing toward a much improved pitching development process this year, and I think he is now a true ace that belongs in the discussion for the best pitcher in the American League.
This season has not been perfect for Cole. He has had two really bad starts and in both he gave up seven runs, though one of those he still made it through six and a third innings. His other 12 starts, however, have been spectacular. He has gone 6 or more innings in nine of them and given up two or fewer runs in 11 of them (one three-run game ruined it). In the past month, he has started five games and only given up four runs total across 30 innings. He now ranks among the best in the league in many different pitching statistics.
