"Now, not all big lefties are created equally. Some, such as Payton Tolle, haven't quite figured out the arsenal past the heater. Others, such as Garrett Crochet, have secondary pitches to complement the big fastball. The final evolution of the big lefty is the one who has a good fastball, a breaking pitch, and a devastating changeup. That's Tarik Skubal."
"Ragan's fastball isn't as overpowering as Skubal's, but his changeup is nearly as good. He uses the pitch 24% of the time against righties, getting swinging strikes on almost 30% of his offerings. He does it with a 44% zone rate on the pitch, so even when it's in hittable locations, opponents can't touch it. It wasn't just a small sample size fluke, either. Righties whiffed at a similar rate in 2024 when the pitch accounted for even more of his arsenal."
Cole Ragans is a left-handed pitcher from Gainesville, Florida who threw 64 innings with the Texas Rangers between 2022 and 2023 before being traded to Kansas City for Aroldis Chapman. He has started 57 games for the Royals over the past 2.5 seasons. Ragans fits the profile of a large lefty with more than just a heater; his changeup ranks as a plus pitch. He used the changeup 24% of the time against right-handed hitters, inducing swinging strikes on nearly 30% of those offerings while locating it in the zone 44% of the time. His fastball averages about 95 mph, touches 99 mph, shows two-plane movement, and plays effectively due to velocity and command.
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