City Royals sign Cole Ragans to one-year, two-way contract…
Kansas City Royals starter Cole Ragans is quite familiar with Globe Life Field. In fact, he still remembered how to navigate his way to the home clubhouse on Tuesday afternoon. The steps were ingrained in his memory. Ragans made a couple of turns and walked down the hallway into the vast clubhouse.
Once he arrived, his name was plastered on the locker right next to his Royals teammates: Seth Lugo, Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez.
The quartet represented the organization in the 94th Midsummer Classic, a 5-3 win for the American League. It was the first time for Ragans, Witt and Lugo … much to their excitement. “I had a couple shots of Nespresso (coffee) when I got to the field,” Ragans said before the game.
“It’s a little different than a normal game day, as we had a lot going on with red carpet and all that kind of stuff. So when I got here, you know, ate some food. (I’m) trying not to get too nervous. Got to enjoy this moment.” After pitching one inning in the All-Star Game, Ragans acknowledged having some nerves, but he noted he settled in when he stepped on the field with two of his Royals teammates.
Ragans has blossomed since he arrived in a midseason trade last season. The Royals acquired him for veteran reliever Aroldis Chapman last June. Ragans has posted a 2.96 ERA in 32 career starts with the Royals. This season, Ragans stepped into a front-line role in the starting rotation. He owns a 6-6 record with 3.16 ERA and 141 strikeouts in 20 starts.
