Royals Ascend Jac Caglianone: Offensive Boost for Kansas City
The Kansas City Royals are poised to incorporate the powerful hitter Jac Caglianone, one of baseball’s most promising prospects, less than a year after selecting him in the sixth position of the draft.
In his first full professional season, 22-year-old Caglianone has showcased his power in Double-A and Triple-A, accumulating 15 home runs and 56 RBIs in 50 games, with a batting average of .322/.389/.593.Originally a two-way player at the University of Florida, Caglianone, who is 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, became a full-time offensive player after joining the Royals organization following last July’s draft. Initially a first baseman, he has played most of his Triple-A games in the outfield and is expected to play there when he joins the Royals for their series starting Tuesday in St. Louis.
Caglianone’s main quality is his power, evidenced in numerous spectacular home runs this season. With exit velocities that rival those of Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, Caglianone is expected to become a key element in the middle of the Royals’ batting order, along with Bobby Witt Jr.
Despite his enormous power, Caglianone has only struck out in 20% of his plate appearances this season. Kansas City was reluctant to promote him due to concerns that he would chase too many pitches outside the strike zone and could be vulnerable to high-quality pitches in the Major Leagues.
However, Kansas City’s offensive struggles have outweighed those concerns, leading to his call-up to the majors.
The Royals, located in fourth place in the American League Central Division with a record of 31-29, have allowed the second-fewest runs in MLB, 201, surpassed only by the New York Mets. However, they have scored the second-fewest runs, 194, ahead only of the Colorado Rockies, who with a record of 9-50 are heading towards having the worst record in MLB history.
Royals’ outfielders, in particular, have struggled. In 663 plate appearances this season, they are batting .237/.283/.330 with seven home runs and 46 RBIs. The slugging percentage, home runs, and RBIs are the worst in MLB.
