Rangers Spring Training Preview: Cole Ragans

Cole Ragans is a former first-round pick who got a taste of the Majors Leagues in 2022, but his role in 2023 is far from certain.

InsidetheRangers.com previews every player on the Texas Rangers 40-man roster heading into Spring Training in Surprise, Arizona.

P Cole Ragans

In 2022: Ragans continued his rapid rise through the Rangers minor-league system in 2022, working his way from Double-A Frisco to Triple-A Round Rock to, eventually, his Major League debut.

With Texas, Ragans went 0-3 with a 4.95 ERA in nine games (all starts). He pitched 40 innings, gave up 43 hits and 24 runs (22 earned), six home runs and 16 walks. He struck out 27. Opponents hit .272 against him and he had a 1.48 WHIP.

Ragans did miss a couple of starts down the stretch due to a left calf strain. But after missing three seasons of baseball due to arm surgeries and COVID cancellations, that was a minor inconvenience.

Once the Rangers promoted him to Arlington, the intent was to give Ragans a full go. He pitched like a rookie, honestly. He had trouble in the areas that you would expect — getting veteran hitters out, getting out of significant jams and giving up a high batting average. But he reached five innings in four starts, including his final three. In his last two starts he gave up four hits and one run in each start.

Leading up to his debut, in his first month in Round Rock, he was the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week. With Frisco and Round Rock he went 8-5 record with a 3.04 ERA in 18 games.

Ragans’ Career at a Glance: Ragans went nearly three years without throwing a pitch after he was the Rangers’ first-round pick in 2016. That was due to two Tommy John surgeries and the 2020 minor-league season being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But he burned through every level of the Rangers system in 2021 and 2022.

Contract Status: Ragans is a rookie and under team control for the foreseeable future.

In Surprise: It was probably unfair to expect Ragans to be a star from the start once he was called up, but his inability to claim a victory in his two months with Texas is just one of many reasons the Rangers went out and signed or traded for four veteran starting pitchers — Jacob deGrom, Andrew Heaney, Jake Odorizzi and Nathan Eovaldi. With six veteran starters in camp, Ragans is seeking to fight for a long reliever role or to earn a trip back to Round Rock, where he would be one of several pitchers on call in case of injury. That’s why it’s important for him to be better than he was last year in Spring Training. Injuries are a part of the game and Ragans wants to be that first phone call.

---

2023 Texas Rangers 40-Man Spring Training Previews:

Joe Barlow | John King | Dane Dunning | Brett Martin | Jake Odorizzi | Yerry Rodriguez | Owen White |

You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

Catch up with Inside the Rangers on Facebook and Twitter.

Need to catch up on the Rangers? Check out our Texas Rangers Offseason Central Page!