Royals $13 Million All-Star Dishes On Manager Matt Quatraro's Opening Day Decision
The Kansas City Royals were the only team in Major League Baseball with two top-five Cy Young Award finishers to choose from with their Opening Day starter selection this season.
On one hand, there was Seth Lugo, who finished runner-up behind the Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal in an incredible late-career breakout season. But the Royals are banking on Cole Ragans, who finished fourth in the award voting, to be their true ace.
Ragans got the ball for the Royals on Opening Day last season, and though he didn't quite match Lugo's 3.00 ERA, he was everything the team needed him to be. He struck out a ton of batters and made his first All-Star team, and now, the Royals are rewarding him with repeat honors.
On Sunday, manager Matt Quatraro announced that Ragans would get the ball on Opening Day for a second-straight season when the Royals face the Cleveland Guardians at Kauffman Stadium.
“Cole’s got elite stuff, the elite swing and miss ability against any lineup,” Quatraro said, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com. “He’s excited, we’re excited, and he’s certainly earned it. His whole body of work -- his stuff, the person he is, the way he competes, the way the other guys look up to him.
“He’s an Opening Day guy.”
Ragans, 27, wound up posting a 3.14 ERA in 32 starts last season, striking out 223 batters (fourth-most in Major League Baseball). The Royals rewarded him with a three-year, $13.25 million pre-arbitration extension this offseason, giving him financial security a year ahead of schedule.
“It’s pretty special,” Ragans said of the honor, per Rogers. “It’s awesome. It’s going to be an exciting year. A lot of excitement around it just because of last year. Like I said last year, I don’t think you can go wrong with any other guys in the rotation. It’s an honor to be that guy to get us off on the right foot."
Getting off on the right foot will indeed be key because the Guardians are the defending American League Central champions. If Ragans can shut Cleveland down at home, Kansas City will have the slightest of early advantages in the division.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org