Born in Talladega, Alabama, and raised in Detroit, where he graduated from Northern High School, Ragland threw and batted right-handed, stood 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) and weighed 155 pounds (70 kg).

His professional baseball career began when he was selected by Washington in the 15th round of the first-ever amateur draft.

In 1972, the club's first year as the Texas Rangers, Ragland spent the first four months of the campaign at Triple-A Denver before his recall in late July.

With the veteran Tommy Helms entrenched at second base, Ragland played the entire year back at Triple-A Denver before retiring from the field.

He returned to the Detroit area, where he worked for a local milk-processing plant and scouted for the Texas Rangers.