Royals’ Jac Caglianone Connects 1st Hit and Dedicates it to His Father

Kansas City Royals rookie outfielder Jac Caglianone had a memorable day on Thursday, marking several significant milestones in his career.

Caglianone hit a run-scoring double against pitcher Miles Mikolas, sending the ball to the right field corner. This hit drove in Salvador Perez and represented the young prospect’s first hit and first RBI of his career.

“He’s a highly decorated pitcher, a veteran and all that, so I knew his command was really good. So, he started with two fastballs up, got to 0-2 and, fortunately, I saw the curveball come up,” Caglianone commented.

Jac Caglianone

The player revealed that he thought of his father when he hit the hit. The ball, a special souvenir, will go directly to his father, who was present in the stands to witness the moment. In addition to his outstanding offensive performance, Caglianone proved his worth in right field, making an excellent catch to prevent an extra-base hit by Alec Burleson in the Royals’ 6-5 loss.

“He tracked that ball really well,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.

Matt Quatraro

Caglianone, who was the sixth overall pick in the 2024 draft, had a Major League debut where he failed to get a hit in five at-bats on Monday. However, he came close to getting hits in three of those at-bats. The 22-year-old, before his promotion, batted .319 with nine home runs and 43 RBIs in 38 games with Triple-A Omaha, after playing the first 12 games of the season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

Manager Quatraro expressed his confidence in the impact that Caglianone will have on the team.

Caption: Royals rookie right fielder Jac Caglianone celebrates with teammates after his first Major League hit, a run-scoring double, during Thursday’s game against the Cardinals.