Kansas City Royals right fielder Jac Caglianone was prolific for the Florida Gators and the Royals’ minor-league affiliates, but that hasn’t translated to the big leagues so far. The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder slashed .157/.237/.295 with seven homers and 18 RBIs over 62 MLB games as a rookie this past season after slashing .337/.408/.547 with 22 homers and 86 RBIs over 95 career minor-league contests.
Royals general manager J.J. Picollo spoke about Caglianone on Saturday, via MLB Network.
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“I think the tough part is, it’s the first time he’s failed in any sense. He [was] a two-way star in college,” he said. “But what he needs to realize is just go back and look historically at what great players have done. Not everybody gets off to the start you wanna get off to. But with him right now, it’s just trying to keep his confidence up. He’s going to get at-bats, he’s gonna play a lot. Once he gets going, we’re gonna be in a great spot. 2024, 2025 will be a distant memory.”
Kansas City Royals right fielder Jac Caglianone (14). © David Richard-Imagn Images
Kansas City drafted Caglianone No. 6 overall in 2024 after he excelled as a hitter and pitcher for the Gators. The Florida native owns the school’s career home run record (75) and averaged 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
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Caglianone converted to a full-time position player at the professional level and took just a year-and-a-half to make the big leagues after getting drafted. However, the 22-year-old learned the hard way that MLB pitchers are the hardest in the world to hit against.
If Caglianone plays to his potential next season, he’ll establish himself as a building block for the Royals alongside star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., third baseman Maikel Garcia, and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino. Additionally, it would likely help them improve on their 82-20 record from last season.
Kansas City has been aggressive this offseason, as it gave Garcia a five-year contract extension with an option for a sixth on Friday and agreed to a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. They dealt relief pitcher Angel Zerpa for outfielder Isaac Collins and reliever Nick Mears, per MLB’s social media.
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The Royals couldn’t afford to be complacent this offseason, as they needed to make moves to catch up to the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central. They’ve taken steps in the right direction so far, and improved play by Caglianone next season could be the final push they need to return to the playoffs.