Welcome to this edition of the Royals Beat newsletter. My name is Anne Rogers, and I’ll be delivering news and insight to your inbox all season long. Thanks for following along! This week's edition is a shared piece with Twins beat writer, Matthew Leach. KANSAS CITY -- They pitched in the same high school starting rotation. They live down the street from each other. They work out together in the offseason. And this week, Cole Ragans and Cole Sands once again got to share something they dreamed about as kids: pitching in the Major Leagues. The two old friends, both natives of Tallahassee, Fla., and graduates of North Florida Christian School, were reunited at Kauffman Stadium this week, the latest overlap in a lifelong connection between the two friends. “He literally lives eight houses down in the same neighborhood as me,” said Ragans. “His brother [Carson, also an NFCS alum and a former pro ballplayer] lives 10 houses in the other direction. Same neighborhood, all of our wives get along really well. And we hang out basically every single day in the offseason. We hunt together, work out together, play catch together.” Ragans and Sands had very different paths to where they are now. Ragans, 27, was drafted No. 30 overall out of high school by the Rangers in 2016 and was a top pitching prospect for them throughout the Minors. But his career hit a snag when he had two Tommy John surgeries on his left elbow in 2018 and ‘19. And then his career took a turn when the Royals acquired him midway through the 2023 season, sending Aroldis Chapman to the Rangers. |
Within a few months, Ragans was turning into a starter the Royals could build their future rotation around. Now, he’s their ace. “For him to even stay on that path, still wanting to play, there’s a lot of guys that don’t want to do the second Tommy John,” Sands said. “They just would rather call it quits. But for him, he’s worked so hard at it and gotten to where he’s at because of the hard work. It’s cool to see. He’s earned every bit of the success he’s had.” Sands, 27, went to Florida State after high school and was drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 Draft by the Twins. He made his debut in ‘22 and started three games for the Twins that year but moved to the bullpen full-time in ‘23. “He's the exact same guy as he was when we were in high school,” Ragans said. “You know, our paths kind of went different ways because he went to college and I got drafted out of high school, but I’m really grateful we got so close and now are able to play against each other up here.” The two get to see each other more as division rivals, and they root for each other throughout the season. But rest assured they want their respective teams to beat the other. |
“Obviously when we play him, I hope we kick his [butt], and vice versa, I’m sure he’s thinking the same way,” Sands said. “But he’s fun to watch. If I see him on TV, I’m pulling for him. He’s worked very hard to get to where he’s at, and it’s all for a reason.” The competition doesn’t stop when the season ends. They’re always making up games to try and beat each other. It even spills out into the backyard. “Well, we’re on the same team for cornhole usually,” Ragans said. “There’s a group of like four couples that get together in the offseason a lot, and the four guys will sit in the backyard and just play games constantly.” In the offseason, Ragans and Sands still throw on the same field they played on in high school. They both see NCFS head coach Mike Posey as a defining person in their careers and still keep in touch; Ragans donated a Rapsodo machine to Posey’s program a few years ago. That’s where both pitchers got their start and their first taste of winning when NFCS won the 2014 state championship. Ragans, as a sophomore, started the game and struggled a bit. But he had Sands, a junior at the time, there to pick him up, coming in to close it out as the Eagles came back late to win the title. “They really worked hard,” Posey said. “They fed off each other. It was really evident as they grew older. They were really close. And they drove each other. … Those guys know who they are. It’s pride for our program. I think it’s pride for Tallahassee. Tallahassee has great baseball, and for them to be part of that lineage is important.” |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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It’s hard to ask for a better start to the season than what Hunter Harvey has done for the Royals to begin 2025. He hasn’t allowed a run in 5 1/3 innings entering Thursday, and he’s been nasty in high-leverage spots. This is the kind of pitcher the Royals thought they were getting at the Trade Deadline last year. But Harvey only threw 5 2/3 innings before a back injury ended his season. He took it hard, not being able to help out the team that wanted him to fortify their bullpen. “Just being on a good team, I’ve just been wanting to play with these guys,” Harvey said. “Watching them all of last year was fun, but not getting to pitch in the postseason sucks. You wait for that moment forever, and then you miss out on it. So I wanted to get as ready the best I could to help this year.” The now-healthy Harvey has faced 17 batters and struck out seven of them so far this year. He didn’t allow his first baserunner – and first hit – until Monday night against the Twins.
“He just looks free and easy to me,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “He’s using all his pitches. The slider continues to improve, and that’s going to be a great weapon against righties.”
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The Royals are one month away from hosting a black-tie event to celebrate their 1985 and 2015 World Series championship teams, and individual tickets are now on sale. The Kansas City Royals Foundation will host a Championship Gala on May 15 at Union Station, an off-site event that will include player appearances from both teams, a seated dinner and commemorative programming.
Individual and group tickets are on sale here.
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