Twins to face Royals' young lefty Cole Ragans on Opening Day

The Twins could be facing the next Kansas City Royals ace when they open their season at Kauffman Stadium on March 28 in Kansas City, Mo.

The Royals named left-hander Cole Ragans as their Opening Day starter on Sunday, giving the 26-year-old his first Opening Day nod of his young career.

Ragans made his major league debut in 2022, and has only made 21 career starts in his two years in the major leagues.

Ragans, the No. 30 overall pick in the 2016 draft out of North Florida Christian High School, found his way to Kansas City last June in a deal that sent Aroldis Chapman to the Texas Rangers. He faced some early career adversity having undergone two Tommy John surgeries on his left elbow in back-to-back years in 2018 and 2019.

But Ragans has since worked his way back from the injuries and has only impressed since then, improving year after year. Last season with the Royals, Ragans made 12 starts, going 5-2 and posting a 2.64 earned-run average with 89 strikeouts while allowing 50 hits and 23 runs — 21 earned — across 71.2 innings.

Ragans even won American League Pitcher of the Month last August after posting a 3-1 record in six starts, with a 1.72 ERA and 53 strikeouts.

Ragans’ fastball took a significant jump from the 2022 season to 2023, from 92.1 mph to 96.5 mph, according to Baseball Savant. His curveball, cutter and changeup also saw a significant jump in velocity, emblematic of his offseason work.

Ragans has made four starts this spring training, going 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA and 16 strikeouts while allowing 15 hits and eight runs in 13.1 innings pitched.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Ragans earned the Opening Day start based on his improvement from last season and how they feel about him and his stuff, according to MLB.com. Ragans told MLB.com that the nod is what you “dream about.”

Pablo López will get the Opening Day nod for the Twins.