Pair Of Royals Aces Predicted To Finish Top 5 in AL Cy Young Race
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The Kansas City Royals have had a solid offseason, ramping up their pitching staff by signing veterans Michael Wacha, Carlos Estevez and Michael Lorenzen. They also traded for Jonathan India and Joey Wiemer.
Last season, they were carried by their starting rotation. Wacha, Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo helped form one of the best rotations in all of Major League Baseball and also helped carry Kansas City to the postseason for the first time since 2015.
Both Ragans and Lugo were Cy Young contenders. If they repeat their success, the Royals will be in good shape in 2025.
Dillon Seckington of FOX 4 predicted that the two aces will do just that.
"If lefty Cole Ragans can build on the year he had in 2024, he’ll be in serious contention for the AL Cy Young award," Seckington predicted.
"Lugo, a 35-year-old former reliever, finished second in AL Cy Young voting in 2024 with 93 points. Lugo and Ragans are very different pitchers to say the least, however. While Ragans relies on four main pitches: the four-seam fastball, changeup, slider, cutter and curveball, the number of pitches and grips Lugo uses is nearly immeasurable. Some of the pitches Lugo throws include a four-seamer, curveball, sinker, slider, cutter, changeup and splitter, just to name a handful."
Both pitchers were instrumental in Kansas City clinching the second American League Wild Card spot, and if they can continue their dominance from 2024, the Royals will be a force to be reckoned with in the AL Central.
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Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Communication and currently writes as a contributor for various platforms covering Major League Baseball. Curt’s work includes covering trade and free agency predictions, as well as rumors and news.
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