SPORTS

NFC pitcher Ragans chosen in 1st round of MLB draft

Brian Miller
Democrat staff writer
NFC pitcher Cole Ragans was taken in the first round of the MLB draft on Thursday, picked at No. 30 overall by the Texas Rangers, becoming only the second area high schooler selected in the first round.
  • NFC pitcher Cole Ragans was selected No. 30 overall by the Texas Rangers in the MLB draft
  • Ragans was the All-Big Bend Pitcher of the Year this season with a 9-2 record and 0.90 ERA
  • Ragans was one of three FSU signees drafted in the first round Thursday night
  • He's also only the second area high schooler (Godby's Butch Benton, 1975) taken in the first round

North Florida Christian senior Cole Ragans didn’t do anything special for the MLB draft that took place starting at 7 p.m. Thursday.

He hung out with his family. A bigger party was scheduled for Saturday, whether it be for graduating and moving on to college or heading to professional baseball.

About 2-1/2 hours after the draft started, Ragans got a call from his advisor.

The Texas Rangers were selecting him with the 30th pick in the draft, making the 6-foot-4, 190-pound left-handed pitcher the second Tallahassee high schooler selected in the first round since the inaugural draft in 1965.

“Words can’t even express how I feel,” Ragans said. “It will probably take me a little while to fall asleep. I have to settle down. My mind is racing. The (adrenaline versus game adrenaline) is totally different. My whole body was shaking like crazy when it happened.”

NFC pitcher Cole Ragans was drafted in the first round of the MLB draft by the Texas Rangers at No. 30 overall.

Godby catcher Butch Benton was the only other, taken with the No. 6 pick by the New York Mets in 1975.

“I was a little shocked when it came across and I think Cole was too,” NFC coach Mike Posey said. “I called him and he said, ‘I’m still numb.’ I thought he’d go second round, but the Phillies and Rangers were really interested in him. The Rangers watched him against Trinity Christian and stayed the night to talk to him the next day. They said he reminded them of Cole Hamels, but first round? I’m excited for him.”

Ragans, a Florida State signee, was 9-2 with a 0.90 earned-run average and 104 strikeouts in 70 innings pitched this past season for the Eagles, earning All-Big Bend Pitcher of the Year honors.

Last season, he had a diminutive ERA of 0.35 entering the state championship game, where he took an unfortunate loss.

NFC's Ragans equally ready for college or pros

But Ragans was also on the Eagles’ 2014 state championship team, alongside current FSU freshman Cole Sands and current Class A South Bend pitcher Carson Sands, who was selected in the fourth round in 2014 by the Chicago Cubs.

Ragans surpassed all of them, providing 34-year vet Posey a career first.

“It’s great,” Posey said. “You never start your career thinking you’ll get a guy in the first round or get a guy to the big leagues. Even just getting drafted is something you don’t think about it. It’s awesome and it’s testimony to his hard work.

“Meeting him as an elementary school kid, going through our program, here’s a very hard worker and very determined.”

NFC pitcher Cole Ragans hit 94 mph on the radar gun and struck out 10 batters over eight innings but was undone by an eighth-inning hit-by-pitch that scored Maclay’s only run in a 1-0 loss.

Florida pitcher A.J. Puk was selected with the No. 6 pick by the Oakland Athletics, while the Philadelphia Phillies opted for a California high school outfielder with the No. 1 overall pick.

Ragans, an Under Armour All-American who throws 89-93 mph fastball range, was the third FSU signee to be drafted in the first round.

Third baseman Joshua Lowe from Marietta, Georgia, went to the Tampa Bay Rays with the 13th pick, while right-handed pitcher Forrest Whitley from Alamo Heights, Texas, went to the Houston Astros at No 17.

NFC's Ragans no-hits Chiles

“Cole still has a lot of growing to do and he’s got a high ceiling,” Posey said. “A lot of high school kids that are talented are still kind of raw. They throw one pitch exceptionally well. He throws three pitches pretty well, but he’s still got room to grow.

“The scouts factor whether a kid is ready to go to work and I think that’s in Cole’s favor. He’s been a lot of places, traveled and adapted really well. That and his ability plays into his selection.”

NFC pitcher Cole Ragans was taken in the first round of the MLB draft on Thursday, picked at No. 30 overall by the Texas Rangers, becoming only the second area high schooler selected in the first round.