Royals fans’ dreams came true Sunday night when a report came out that Jac Caglianone was being called up to the major league team. “LumberJac” was the best prospect the Royals have had since calling up superstar Bobby Witt Jr in 2022. He made his heavily anticipated debut on Tuesday and finished his first series as a major leaguer with a doubleheader in St Louis on Wednesday.

Unfortunately for everyone, Jac Caglianone struggled in his first three games and was unable to achieve the results that many fans had hoped for. Cags left St. Louis 1-for-13 at the plate with an RBI double as his only hit in the series. Overall, he is now 8-for-33 (.242), has yet to walk, and is still looking for his first MLB home run. Now the question is what we should make of his early struggles.

A change of perspective

Going into the 2022 season, the Royals had the top prospect in baseball, and after an incredible minor league season in 2021, Bobby Witt Jr. made the Royals’ opening day roster. Expectations were through the roof, as the number two pick in the 2019 MLB draft had finally made it to Kansas City. Today, Bobby Witt Jr is one of the faces of the MLB and is a true household name in American sports. He must have gotten off to a great start… right?

Similar to Jac Caglianone, Bobby Witt Jr struggled to start his career. In his first MLB series, Bobby Witt Jr. left Kauffman Stadium 2-for-16 (.125) at the plate with two doubles. His struggles continued as he went 5-for-40 (.125) with one walk to start his MLB career and was even moved down in the order. The Royals did not give up on their young star, patiently allowing him to work through his struggles at the plate and to get comfortable hitting in the major leagues.

After his first 40 ABs, Bobby Witt Jr got hot and carried an 11-game hitting streak through the end of April and into May. In his next 40 ABs, Bobby hit 14-for-40 (.350) with two walks and a homer, flashing exactly what fans had been hoping to see from their talented rookie.

Bobby went on to come in second in rookie of the year voting and finished the year with a slash line of .245/.294/.428. He also showed elite defense and proved to be one of the best five-tool players in baseball, just as a young rookie. Last year, Bobby Witt Jr led the Royals to the playoffs for the first time since 2015 and was the unanimous runner-up for the AL MVP behind Aaron Judge.

Despite his slow start, Jac Caglianone has shown signs of being a great hitter. He has a zContact rate above 73 percent, a 48 percent hard hit rate, and would be near the top of the MLB in bat speed. He has started to take longer ABs, and when he does swing early in the count, he’s making hard contact with the ball. He has yet to get the results, but there is no reason to think he won’t find success down the line.

The final takeaway is simple: prospects struggle more often than not. For someone like Bobby Witt Jr, those struggles only lasted 40 at-bats until he was able to get a good feel for the game. For 2024’s top prospect, Jackson Holliday, those struggles lasted through April, and he had to be sent down to make some adjustments. Holliday was called back up later this year and will likely earn himself some All-Star votes with his performance this season.

George Brett, who got off to a slow start, going 2-for-40 to start his career, but went on to become a Royals legend and likely the best player in franchise history. Caglianone’s struggles have continued past his first few ABs, and outside of his four-hit game in Chicago, Caglianone is 4-for-29 at the plate. His strikeout rate is great, but he has yet to take a walk and will still need some more time to figure out his approach at the plate.

Jac Caglianone will be fine. We can all see that he is not getting the results that anyone wants, but he is making hard contact, putting it in play, and the hits will come. We are only three games into his MLB career, and now is not the time to jump to conclusions about his entire future. The offense has been sparked since he came up, and there is some cushion for him to work things out.

The final message I want to send to Royals fans – be supportive and help build him up. It can be lonely for an athlete who is struggling or not meeting expectations, and the Royals have one of the most loyal and passionate fan bases in Major League Baseball. Use the energy to keep Caglianone’s spirits up and help take off some of the pressure that can be caused by having millions of eyes all on you each day. We can all help provide an environment that will allow Jac Caglianone to reach the great heights we know he’s capable of.