How the KC Royals are embracing Jac Caglianone — and what they expect from him
Prior to boarding the Kansas City Royals’ charter plane to St. Louis, Jac Caglianone posed for a quick photo with new teammate Bobby Witt Jr.
It will be the first of many together.
The Royals promoted Caglianone from Triple-A Omaha on Sunday. He will wear No. 14 with the Royals, who slotted him sixth in the batting order Tuesday night against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
“Just pretty excited to be honest,” Caglianone said. “Family is here and my dad is super excited. I’m just ready to get going.”
Caglianone, 22, had a fast track to the majors. Eleven months ago, he was selected sixth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. He navigated the minor leagues with a path of destruction only usurped by a few players.
The Royals said they wanted to be careful with his development. He took gradual steps to learn the outfield and build confidence in the minors. At each turn, Caglianone kept detailed notes to document his experiences.
He left an impression in spring training. He exceeded expectations in Double-A and he reached another level with five homers and 10 RBIs in his first week in Triple-A Omaha.
Caglianone continued to knock on the door. The knocks got louder and eventually the Royals decided to bring him to the big leagues.
“What we saw in the two weeks at Omaha was outstanding,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “He made in-game adjustments — at-bat to at-bat adjustments and pitch to pitch adjustments — and there were things the coaches were sharing with him and really his own self-evaluation where he needed to improve. And he did it.”
Now, Caglianone is ready for a new challenge. He will join the Royals as they look to return to the postseason once again.
And he will have a little help.
“You know, it’s special,” Royals utilityman Nick Loftin said. “He’s probably going through some emotions, probably the same ones that I went through. I’m going to do my best to help him calm those down and channel them into the game.”
Caglianone drew a crowd as he took batting practice. There were a few baseballs that landed over the center-field wall at Busch Stadium. He finished his on-field work and went to hug his family that watched from the side.
The Caglianone contingent included his parents, Jeff and Johanne, his sister Samantha, his fiancée Elli McKissock and a host of other family and friends.
The Royals have welcomed Caglianone with open arms. He learned from Vinnie Pasquantino, Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez among others in spring training. The group wants to help Caglianone find comfort in the big leagues.
“He did a great job of coming in and kind of just keeping his head down and working,” Pasquantino said. “And that’s really all you can ask as a teammate. That’s my biggest thing: Are guys prepared and are they working? And I hold that expectation to myself and we all hold that to everybody else.”
Pasquantino did share a few questions he received from Caglianone. One of the unique questions revolved around whether he could wear shorts in the team hotel.
“It’s a good question,” Pasquantino said with a smile. “There are things that you just don’t know until you find out.”
Indeed, Caglianone is permitted to wear shorts. He will also get a chance to learn how he fits within the Royals lineup. The Royals say they only want Caglianone to be himself and play baseball at a high level.
“I would caution him, he is not a savior to this offense,” Pasquantino said. “Nor should he think he is or anybody think he is. That’s super unfair and to me, that’s the most unfair thing you can do to somebody. He needs to come into this lineup and be his best self. His best self is what helps us the most. Not him trying to do too much or try to save the offense.”
Caglianone was impressive in the minor leagues. He hit .322 with 15 home runs and 56 RBIs in 50 games across two levels. There were multiple highlights that generated social media attention.
Caglianone doesn’t really frequent social media platforms. He is more concerned with helping his team win games. He knew that he had a chance to be called up after a recent road trip in Salt Lake City with Triple-A Omaha.
Days later, he’s up in the big leagues. There is still a learning curve but his teammates are excited to show him the ropes.
“It’s going to be a big impact bat for us,” outfielder Kyle Isbel said. “I’m excited to watch him in his career and watch him learn in the good times and bad times. It’s going to be fun to watch him. We’re all gonna be here to support him and help him. He’s going to help us out tremendously.”
