Royals' Cole Ragans Reveals Why He Turned Down Team USA Invite
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Very few Major League Baseball players were fortunate enough to receive an invitation to pitch for Team USA. Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans was one of them.
Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said earlier this month that Ragans had been asked to participate in the World Baseball Classic in March, but declined that invitation. It's a stacked group that the U.S. is bringing to pool play in Houston, but Ragans would have made it even more formidable.
Though it was fairly obvious at the time that Ragans made the decision with his health in mind, it was good to get the southpaw's perspective on the situation, which he was able to give on Wednesday.
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Why Ragans made the call to sit out WBC
Not only did Ragans confirm that he made the decision to make sure he came into the season healthy, but that he had the postseason in mind when considering his own longevity.
“Would it be an insane experience? Abso-freaking-lutely," Ragans said, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com. "But just after last year, after being hurt, I think it’s the best decision to stay back. I want to be healthy. I want to have a good buildup. I want to be strong going into the season, and I want to be strong in October.”
Consider how tough it must have been for Ragans not only to turn down the chance to compete for his country, but to turn down teaming up with Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. on the American squad. Plus, almost every other Royals star is participating, from Venezuela's Salvador Perez and Maikel Garcia, to Italy's Vinnie Pasquantino, to the Dominican Republic's Carlos Estévez.
“At the end of the day, this is what’s important -- this team,” Ragans said, per Rogers. “And my health. I’m going to put all my focus into that and this season and October.”
That's an ace who has his head on straight, and the Royals should feel great about handing him the ball on opening day.
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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
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