Free Agent Spotlight: LHP Cole Ragans

Throughout the off-season, we will place a spotlight on some of the most interesting Free Agents set to hit the Auction Market in 2024 for the 11th Roger Dorn Baseball League Draft. With a wave of money to spend and a talented Free Agent Class, the 2024 Auction Draft is set to see historic spending yet again with a wave of Activations driving up the overall cap space across the league.

Our Free Agent Spotlight Off-Season series will start with one of the more intriguing names set to hit the market in 2024 -- Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans.

LHP Cole Ragans

Positional Free Agent Rank: 7

Overall Free Agent Rank: 21

Cole Ragans was two different pitchers in 2023 for two different clubs. He worked solely as a reliever for Texas with too many walks and homers as part of a rather leaky bullpen. It was that situation which led the club to deal the talented lefty to Kansas City for Aroldis Chapman. The deal has been a win-win in the short term, but one Texas will regret for years to come if Ragans continues to shove as he did once reporting to the Royals.

Ragans averaged 92.1 mph with his fastball in nine starts for the Rangers in 2022. Texas shifted him to the pen this year, and though he struggled to a 5.92 ERA in 17 appearances, it was very notable that his velocity jumped four mph. Incredibly, he held on to those gains and even went up a tad further after the Royals transitioned him back to the rotation. He wound up with an 89/27 K/BB ratio in 71 2/3 innings over 12 starts for Kansas City, which has his stock sky-high entering 2024.

The Honolulu Hammerheads claimed Ragans on 8/7, one week after the Deadline players must be on your roster to be Keeper eligible for the following season.

Potential Fits

The interest in Ragans is expected to be widespread, with every RDBL club looking for a backend rotation option with sky-high potential. That demand is likely to push Ragans into the $30-35 range, provided he puts together a solid Spring Training.

Prediction: $32 to Honolulu Hammerheads

The Heads had their eyes on Ragans for most of 2023 after his move to the Royals, snatching him up in early August. GM Ross Horiuchi would love a reunion with the ability to put Ragans behind Sonny Gray, Tanner Bibee, Michael Wacha, Brandon Pfaadt and potentially Chris Sale of Reese Olson to form a talented and high-upside rotation.

Top 10 Shortstop Prospects: Holliday Tops Second Position List

Our Top 10 Prospects by Position Series continues with a loaded class of Shortstops led again by Las Vegas Aristocrats phenom Jackson Holliday who looks primed for his big league debut in 2024. Eight of the Top 10 shortstop prospects look poised for Opening Day roles or early 2024 debuts in another major wave of young talent ready to join RDBL Rosters.

Our coverage of the Top 10 Prospects by Position will conclude with Outfielders and Pitchers over the coming days before concluding with the RDBL Top 100 for the first time since 2021.

1. SS/2B Jackson Holliday, Las Vegas Aristocrats

Acquired: 2023 Trade from Idaho Taters | ETA: 2025

Awarded Baseball America’s Player of the Year in the Minor Leagues, Holliday has ascended into RDBL’s top hitting prospect. Originally a selection of the Idaho Taters, Holliday was one of the highest profile prospects to be traded in League History as the Las Vegas Aristocrats were able to pry him away. He’s on track to make his big leagues in 2024 with a potential Playoff activation or 2025 Opening Day addition to follow.

2. SS/3B Elly De La Cruz, Cloverdale Clovers

Acquired: 2022 Reserve Draft, 2nd Round | ETA: 2024

De La Cruz has some of the loudest tools of any prospect in recent memory, slugging majestic home runs while causing havoc on the bases on a nightly basis. His 2023 Rookie campaign was filled with a bit too much swing and miss, something that is worrisome for Cloverdale Clovers GM Chris Shelley, but potentially something he can overcome given his strong track record in the Minors. If he does, this ranking will look quite low at this time next year.

3. SS/2B Matt McLain, St. Joseph Jokers

Acquired: 2021 Reserve Draft, 5th Round | ETA: 2024

McLain was one of baseball’s breakouts in 2023, slashing .290/.357/.507 while taking over the starting shortstop spot for the Cincinnati Reds. He torched Triple-A to start the season, hitting .340/.467/.688 and looks the part of a Top-10 producer at the position over the next three seasons for the St. Joseph Jokers who will look to build around McLain and Gunnar Henderson.

4. SS Jordan Lawlar, Asti Grape Stompers

Acquired: 2021 Reserve Draft, 1st Round | ETA: 2024

Lawlar is coming off back-to-back seasons of 15+ HR and 35+ SB in 105 games or less while also posting a walk rate north of 11% in both seasons. Lawlar also dropped his strikeout rate from 25.1% to 20.6% and his SwStr rate from 23.4% to 12.2%. Overall, Lawlar has slashed .291/.390/.503 in 207 minor league games with a 650 PA pace of 25 home runs and 52 stolen bases and will enter 2024 with a chance to earn an Opening Day spot, though a crowded depth chart in Arizona could push him back one additional season.

5. SS/3B Noelvi Marte, Luantic Fringe

Acquired: 2022 Trade from Lake Merced Goutfish | ETA: 2024

A long-time prospect, yet still just 22-years-old, Noevli Marte made his big league debut in 2023 and took full advnatage, planting himself firmly into the Reds plans for next season. Marte slashed .316/.366/.456 over 35 games, finishing on a dominant stretch where he hit .387 in September. A crowded infield could further strengthen his positional eligibility with a potential move to the outfield, making Marte an elite activation option for the Fringe in 2024.

6. SS Anthony Volpe, Cloverdale Clovers

Acquired: 2022 Reserve Draft, 1st Round | ETA: 2024

The Clovers resisted the urge to activate Volpe who earned the starting job in New York thanks to a big Spring. GM Chris Shelley is certainly glad they did as Volpe endured his share of struggles but came out with 159 games played while posting a 20/20 season. There were stints of strong performance to build on with the speed he displayed giving Volpe a strong floor for 2024.

7. SS Jackson Merrill, Lunatic Fringe

Acquired: 2023 Reserve Draft, 1st Round | ETA: 2024

In 114 games this season, Merrill slashed .277/.326/.444 with 25 doubles, 15 home runs, and 15 steals. While he doesn't have a big-time power/speed blend, Merrill should be average to above-average in the power/speed department with the ability to flirt with 20/20 early in his career. That should come with a higher AVG as well as Merrill has consistently displayed strong contact skills around or above 80% and doesn't strike out that often either, finishing 2023 with a 12.1% mark. With Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado locked into the left side of the infield in San Diego for years to come, Merrill is likely to flip to the other side of second base with an expected debut in early 2024.

8. SS Marcelo Mayer, Alamo Short Stacks

Acquired: 2023 Trade from Idaho Taters | ETA: 2025

It was a Tale of Three Seasons for Mayer in 2023. The first two months he mashed in the South Atlantic League, posting a near .900 OPS and earning a promotion to Double-A. His next two months in Double-A were a struggle, as pitchers exploited a hole in his swing at the bottom of the zone while working through a shoulder issue that ultimately ended his season. Mayer will head back to Double-A to start 2024 with the Stacks hopeful his drop in production was more health related than a reflection of his skillset and future upside.

9. SS/2B Adael Amador, Alamo Short Stacks

Acquired: 2023 Trade from Lake Merced Goutfish | ETA: 2025

In just 69 games this season, Amador racked up 15 doubles, 12 home runs, and 15 steals with a .287/.380/.495 slash line and more walks (39) than strikeouts (37). If he didn't miss around half of the minor league season recovering from surgery on his right hamate bone, Amador might be in the top 10 overall discussion heading into 2024. While Amador might not have the flashy power/speed blend that most of the names ahead of him in my rankings have, he's still around average game power and speed, maybe even above average in the power department. That's enough to flirt with 20/20 seasons when half of your games are going to be in Coors Field. Add in a plus or better hit tool and outstanding approach, and you have a well-rounded offensive middle infielder with a fairly high floor as well that should be ready to take on a full-time role in Colorado in 2025.

10. 2B/SS/3B Ronny Mauricio, Lake Merced Goutfish

Acquired: 2021 Reserve Draft, 2nd Round | ETA: 2024

Mauricio has a carrying tool in his plus power, but his below-average on-base ability has generally weighed down his overall offensive production. Mauricio has the electric bat speed and twitch to produce majestic drives to his pull side, and his first MLB hit was a 117.3 mph double that was the hardest hit ball by any Mets hitter in 2023. He also led the Mets with one of the highest chase rates in MLB, undone by poor swing decisions against sliders and changeups. The switch-hitting Mauricio is much stronger from the left side, hitting .284/.334/.497 with a 21% strikeout rate against righthanders in the upper minors and majors. He is an above-average runner and efficient basestealer who went 7-for-7 in his MLB debut. Mauricio is a steady defensive shortstop with a plus arm who fanned out to second base, third base and left field at Triple-A to create avenues to Queens. Playing outfield was abandoned in August, but he looked at home at second and third in New York where he figures to play a prominent role in 2024.

Tough Keeper Choices in 2024: East Bay Division

The 11th RDBL Draft is a little over four months away, but the difficult Keeper Deadline decisions are already clear for Roger Dorn Baseball League Front Offices. We are taking a Division by Division look at some of the tough Keeper decisions teams will face heading into 2024 with each of the candidates below also representing potential trade options this Winter.

Alamo Short Stacks: LHP Nick Lodolo (2R/$3)

Left-hander Nick Lodolo joins Gavin Lux and Walker Buehler as Projected Keepers for the Alamo Short Stacks that missed almost or all of 2023. Pair that with eight other projected Keepers in their first or second season, and the volatility only grows. Lodolo, acquired from the Mt. Diablo Devils in a late season deal, was masterful to end the 2022 campaign, entering last year as one of the most anticipated activations in the RDBL. Lodolo was limited to just seven starts last season due to left calf tendinosis and a stress reaction in his left tibia that he suffered during his rehabilitation process. Barring any unexpected setbacks, the 25-year-old southpaw is expected to be fully healthy and ready to pitch in spring training when he will be heavily evaluated by the Stacks Front Office.

Asti Grape Stompers: OF Mike Trout (2/$58)

While a .858 OPS is great by relative standards, it was the lowest Mike Trout had produced since his 2011 rookie season. Still, he slugged 18 homers with 54 runs scored and 44 RBI through 81 games in the first half before his season was derailed by yet another injury. Trout played in just one game in the second half after fracturing a hamate bone in his left hand. A series of separate injuries have limited Trout’s playing time to some extent in each of the last seven seasons, playing in only 237 of a possible 486 games since 2021. While he’s expected to be fully healthy for spring training, it will clearly be a tough call for GM Terry Shelley given the size of the investment.

Cloverdale Clovers: SS Xander Bogaerts (3/$44)

Xander Bogaerts delivered six homers and a .914 OPS in his first month with the Padres, but the summer months weren't quite so productive. The veteran shortstop also had a 1.122 OPS during the final month of the season, but his .244/.308./358 slash line in between made for an underwhelming debut campaign in San Diego. In total it was a solid overall season with 19 homers, a career-high 19 steals, 83 runs and 58 RBI to go along with a .790 OPS, though that production certainly doesn't live up to the 11-year, $280 million contract he signed last offseason. With a wave of shortstop prospects ready to step in, the Clovers could look to go in another direction and leverage the $44 in saving for their rotation.

Meinert Hops: RHP Corbin Burnes (2/$73)

The Hops were decimated by injuries to end 2023, losing Shohei Ohtani and Shane McClanahan to injuries that will keep them off the mound in 2024 and off their Keeper Roster. That leaves the Hops looking to backfill a spot at the top of their rotation where deadline acquisition Corbin Burnes could step in. The right-hander's 2023 got off to an inauspicious start, with an ugly arbitration battle publicly straining the relationship between Corbin Burnes and the Brewers. Always the consummate professional, Burnes put together a highly successful campaign despite some hiccups, leading qualified National League starters in WHIP while reaching 200 strikeouts for the third consecutive season. His swing-and-miss dominance took a hit as Burnes averaged just over a strikeout per inning (25.5 K%), coinciding with a dip in fastball velocity. His sinking fastball let him down and the 10 wins were a disappointment, but Burnes has four above-average pitches to lean on and still projects as a fantasy ace entering 2024.

Mt. Diablo Devils: OF Christian Yelich (3/$31)

The veteran outfielder broke out of his two-year funk in 2023, finishing with a .278/.370/.447 slash line to go along with 19 homers, 28 steals (31 attempts) and 78 RBI in 144 games. It's a far cry from the MVP-level production Christian Yelich posted during his first two years in Milwaukee, but it's still a marked improvement on his .737 OPS from the previous two seasons. A .342 BABIP was backed up by an xBA of .277 and xSLG of .450, which indicates his 2023 results should be sustainable. Yelich's chronic back issues continue to linger and cost him nearly two weeks in September, but he's still played in all but 26 games over the last two years. That MVP form is likely long gone as he enters his age-32 campaign, but Yelich will still have plenty of fantasy value with a decent chance at a 20-20 campaign in 2024. With Jose Ramirez and Mookie Betts eating up $99 of their cap space combined, Yelich's $31 will be a difficult choice that could limit their ability to address the rest of their roster, especially with Wander Franco (and his extreme value) unlikely to be available to play in 2024.