Lugo 2nd, Ragans 4th in AL Cy Young voting
Anne Rogers
@anne__rogersKANSAS CITY -- The Royals¡¯ remarkable turnaround from 56-106 in 2023 to 86-76 and a postseason berth in ¡¯24 was fueled by their starting pitching. Kansas City boasted one of the best rotations in baseball, which included a dynamic one-two punch at the top in Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans.
The Baseball Writers¡¯ Association of America recognized the duo as such in American League Cy Young Award voting on Wednesday, with Lugo named the runner-up and Ragans finishing fourth.
Tigers ace Tarik Skubal was the unanimous winner, garnering all 30 first-place votes and 210 points. Lugo followed with 93 points, including 14 second-place votes. Like with the Manager of the Year Award on Tuesday -- in which Royals skipper Matt Quatraro finished second to Cleveland¡¯s Stephen Vogt -- the AL Central was well represented.
Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase finished third with 66 points, with Ragans behind him with 48 points.
Other pitchers represented on ballots included Orioles ace Corbin Burnes, Mariners starter Logan Gilbert, Astros pitchers Framber Valdez and Yusei Kikuchi, Rangers reliever Kirby Yates and Guardians reliever Cade Smith.
Skubal was the favorite Wednesday as the AL Triple Crown winner with the most wins (18), best ERA (2.39) and most strikeouts (228). Votes by 30 individual BBWAA members were cast at the end of the regular season and before the postseason.
But with his second-place finish, Lugo was recognized by voters for his consistency and durability atop the Royals' rotation. One of just four pitchers in the Majors to cross the 200-inning mark this year, Lugo ranked second with 206 2/3 frames behind only Gilbert (208 2/3). Lugo was one of four AL starters to make 33 starts this year, and 22 were quality starts. His 3.00 ERA ranked sixth in the AL, while his 16 wins were tied for second.
The 35-year-old Lugo¡¯s second-place finish is the highest for a Royal in Cy Young voting since Zack Greinke won the award in 2009.
Lugo¡¯s Cy Young finish is a testament to the belief he had in himself as a starter, despite being a 34th-round Draft pick (1,032nd overall) in 2011 and all the years he spent in the Mets' bullpen. It¡¯s also a testament to the Royals¡¯ faith that he could be a valuable member of their rotation and clubhouse when they signed him to a three-year, $45 million deal last offseason.
Lugo hit free agency after the 2022 season and signed with San Diego, with whom he made 26 starts in '23. After one year as a full-time starter, Lugo hit the market again and signed with the Royals, who were revamping their roster and viewed him as an important piece on the field -- and just as important off it -- to help establish a winning culture in the clubhouse.
Lugo was everything the Royals could have asked for and more in his first season -- an All-Star, a Gold Glove Award winner and now a Cy Young runner-up. His nine-plus pitches fooled hitters all year. He and Michael Wacha teamed up as the veteran starters to help turn around the culture in Kansas City and show a young rotation how to get through a long season and into the postseason.
And one of those young pitchers was Ragans, the rising ace the Royals tabbed as their Opening Day starter and then their Game 1 starter in the AL Wild Card Series against the Orioles.
The centerpiece of Kansas City's return from Texas for reliever Aroldis Chapman in 2023, Ragans has established himself as a top young arm in the Majors. Ragans, who will turn 27 in December, posted a 3.14 ERA in '24, making 32 starts (186 1/3 innings).
Ragans' 223 strikeouts ranked second to Skubal in the AL -- and made him the fifth Royals pitcher to record 200 or more strikeouts and the first since Greinke in 2009.
Ragans ranked in the AL top 10 in ERA (eighth), strikeout percentage (29.3%, second), opponents¡¯ average (.213, sixth) and FIP (2.99, second).
The Royals have been well-represented during this week¡¯s BBWAA announcements and have one more finalist awaiting results. The AL MVP will be announced on Thursday night -- beginning at 5 p.m. CT on MLB Network -- and shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. is a finalist alongside Yankees sluggers Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.