Weekend baseball is here, and we have a full slate of MLB action to consume! With all 30 teams scheduled to play there are numerous angles worth approaching, but my favorite play highlights Cole Ragans and the Kansas City Royals. Let’s dive in!
Cole Ragans 7+ strikeouts / Kansas City Royals 3+ runs scored (+100)
Tarik Skubal is the best left-handed starting pitcher in MLB, in my opinion, but Cole Ragans is not far behind. The ascension of Ragans has truly been remarkable, as just 2 seasons ago he racked up only 27 strikeouts across 40 MLB innings while registering an average 4-seam velocity of only 92.1 MPH, a 21st percentile mark that season. Now his average 4-seamer sits at 96.4 MPH while he often throws even harder. Not only did Ragans improve his velocity, but his arsenal shifted as well, adding both a slider and knuckle curve to help round out his pitch mix.
Ragans was traded from the Texas Rangers to the Kansas City Royals last season in a swap for Aroldis Chapman who helped the Rangers win the 2023 World Series. The left-hander made his first start with Kansas City on July 15th and including that outing he has made 20 starts with the club. In those 20 outings Ragans has registered a 2.91 ERA, 2.44 FIP, 1.15 WHIP, 0.39 HR/9, 14.9% swinging strike%, and a 30.6% K%. He has recorded 7 or more strikeouts in 13 of his last 19 outings including 5 of 8 this season and each of his last 2.