A few weeks ago, Cole Ragans was an expendable pitcher on the Texas Rangers’ roster.
He was an underachiever, having posted mediocre ERAs in 2022 (4.95) and during his stint in the Lone Star state in 2023 (5.92).
His destiny was about to change, though.
Ragans was included in the Aroldis Chapman trade, packing his bags and landing on the Kansas City Royals.
His career has taken off since switching squads.
He went from being a journeyman to one of the best pitchers in the American League in the blink of an eye.
Now, he is even in the top ten of MLB’s pitcher power rankings.
Shaking up the Pitcher Power Rankings with SEVEN new arms entering the leaderboard. 💪
(MLB x @SageUSAmerica) pic.twitter.com/zedqwaV9Mz
— MLB (@MLB) September 7, 2023
You could make a very good argument that since the trade deadline, no hurler on that list has pitched better than Ragans.
With the Royals, the left-hander has a 1.51 ERA in 47.2 innings, with 11 walks and an incredible 63 strikeouts.
He went from throwing in the 92-mph range to flirting with 97-98 mph with his heater.
It has been an amazing resurgence for the former first rounder.
The Royals hadn’t had an ace in a long time.
Now that Ragans is healthy, effective, and has broken out, they appear to have solved that organizational issue.
The next thing on the agenda will be keeping Ragans effective and throwing hard.
After that, Kansas definitely needs to develop other pitchers and more hitters to start showing something.
They have one of the worst records in the American League and need all the talent they can get.
Getting Ragans, a controllable ace, for the price of a veteran middle reliever was a master move by the Royals.
NEXT: Cole Ragans Is Becoming Elite After Midseason Trade