This Royals ace was a Cy Young finalist last season. Why 2025 could be his year
Kansas City Royals ace Cole Ragans exited Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins with his usual stoic demeanor.
He had done his part.
Ragans shut down the Twins at Kauffman Stadium. He allowed one run across six innings and struck out 11 batters in the Royals’ 2-1 victory. It was his seventh career game with at least 10 strikeouts and all have come with the Royals.
In a pitchers’ duel with Twins ace Pablo Lopez, Ragans showcased why he was a finalist for the American League Cy Young Award.
And he made a strong case as to why he could win it in 2025.
“It’s unbelievable and it’s Cy Young stuff,” Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. said of Ragans. “It’s great. Any time he goes on the mound, you know we’ve just got to get some runs on the board for him and he is going to do the rest.”
Ragans was dominant from the start. He made quick work of Twins outfielder Byron Buxton to begin the game. Buxton didn’t fare well against Royals pitchers as he struck out four times Tuesday.
Later, Ragans struck out the side in the third. Two innings later, he ran into trouble but worked out of a potential jam. And he concluded his start by stranding two baserunners and striking out Twins third baseman Jose Miranda.
“You know, good things happen when you get ahead,” Ragans said. “There for a little bit, we were getting ahead with the fastball, using the changeup and mixing in some of the breaking balls. But the biggest thing is I felt I got ahead for the most part and I stayed ahead. So it kind of puts them on a little bit of a swing mode, I guess.
“I’m going to be in the zone and trust the guys behind me.”
The Twins struggled to catch up to Ragans’ fastball. The pitch registered 24 swings and three whiffs. Ragans paired his changeup, knuckle-curve and slider around the devastating fastball.
As a result, Ragans worked efficiently. He registered 63 of 96 pitches for strikes and scattered just four hits.
“Cole was unbelievable,” Vinnie Pasquantino echoed. “That’s a really good lineup over there.”
Ragans now has consecutive games with 10 or more strikeouts. In his last 11 innings, Ragans has surrendered two earned runs, nine hits and recorded 21 strikeouts.
“It’s great to see what he’s doing,” Witt said. “Just the work he puts in — everything he does — the preparation is just incredible.”
The Royals have relied on their pitching in recent games. There have been quality starts from Ragans, Michael Lorenzen and Kris Bubic during KC’s three-game winning streak.
Ragans left with a no decision Tuesday. However, he proved why the Royals invested in him with a new three-year extension this offseason.
And emphasized why he’s an emerging superstar around the league.
“He looked awesome,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “He was commanding everything and had plus-carry on his fastball. A lot of swing and miss. As we know, when you have to get ready for his fastball, his changeup is elite. He threw a lot of good curveballs and sliders as well.”
Ragans is 16-11 with a 2.99 ERA in 47 career starts with the Royals. He has 336 strikeouts in 274 innings pitched.
This story was originally published April 9, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
