Nutshell: Tall Tasks - Pitching in the Minors

Starter Carson Ragsdale shares his balance of baseball and fatherhood

By Blaine McCormick

June 26, 2024

Pitcher Carson Ragsdale’s biggest fan doesn’t see him as a baseball player. She simply calls him “dad.”

Nestled in a baby carrier, Annie Ragsdale is seeing her dad pitch for the Flying Squirrels just months after she was born in Arizona. Joyous memories of that day resonate with Ragsdale and his wife, Nicole.

“It was really awesome that I was able to be there for her birth and to be with my wife,” Ragsdale said. “Even the days leading up to it and the weeks after. It was spring training but being able to be with her through the first month and not having to leave or anything was awesome. We had our apartment out there, so we just went home and hunkered down for a little bit. It was a whirlwind but the greatest day ever.”

Double-digit punchies for Rags 💪 pic.twitter.com/vtplV9gLcn
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) June 23, 2024

It was not the first time the 26-year-old right-hander had experienced a life-changing event.

Ragsdale did not get many Division I offers in high school. The last one he received was from the University of South Florida in Tampa, the same institution both of his parents attended.

The same day USF offered him a spot, Ragsdale committed.

“When they offered me, it was a no-brainer,” he said. “They were the last school to offer me a spot. Being able to play for the hometown team growing up, that was awesome.”

After enduring a lost 2020 season, Ragsdale was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the fourth round of that year’s shortened draft.

Ragsdale’s next life-changing moment came with a phone call in January of 2021. The voice on the other end informed him he had been traded to the San Francisco Giants, days away from reporting for spring training.

The opportunity meant an organizational change, different spring training venues and adapting quickly to a new life, but it all was a great experience, according to Ragsdale.

In his first professional season, Ragsdale struck out 167 batters, ranking second among all minor-league pitchers. He also was the winning pitcher in Game 2 of the Low-A West Division Championship Series, which the San Jose Giants won in 2021.

Good morning 🌅
Good afternoon ☀️
Good night 👊

Carson Ragsdale's got it workin' early. pic.twitter.com/fJfqX7wvAU
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) April 11, 2024

After a fantastic start to his pro career, Ragsdale encountered a seismic change. In the spring of 2022, he underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.

The condition occurs when there’s compression of nerves or blood vessels in a person’s lower neck and upper chest. Ragsdale knew enough about the surgery, which involved removing one of his upper ribs, to know that the recovery process would be extensive.

“It was hard. You look at a (Tommy John) surgery and that’s pretty scripted out, but TOS isn’t scripted out at all,” Ragsdale said. “You don’t really know how you’re going to recover, so you just take it day by day. I trusted the (physical therapists) back in Arizona. They knew what they were doing, and they were going to take care of me.”

Ragsdale made only five appearances with the Giants’ affiliate in the Arizona Complex League but was shut down in late July.

He had hoped the 2023 season would be a return to normalcy, but it was shortened to just seven starts due to an oblique injury.

Now in his first season at Double-A, each outing is a little victory. Through his first 12 starts, Ragsdale led the Eastern League at 80 strikeouts and has built his innings up through each appearance.

Battling through unknowns of his TOS recovery has put the sport in a new perspective for Ragsdale. He never takes a pitch for granted because some athletes do not have the same results through the recovery.

GOT 'EM! 👊

Carson Ragsdale tallies his 10th strikeout of the night, setting a new Double-A high! pic.twitter.com/vgsfP649hl
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) June 22, 2024

In his first season as a dad, Ragsdale was the starting pitcher on Father’s Day. He matched a career-high six innings pitched with eight strikeouts, holding the New Hampshire Fisher Cats scoreless. It was his longest outing since his first pro season.

Ragsdale’s blessings extend to seeing Annie after games now. His numbers are set aside when he gets to embrace his biggest fan.

“It puts baseball into a little more perspective,” Ragsdale said. “Knowing I can do good or bad and whatever happens on the field, Annie is still going to be there after the game. She’s going to look at me as ‘dad’ and not ‘baseball player.’ She doesn’t care about the final line of the game. It’s awesome to be able to go back home and hold her.”