Royals welcome Jac Caglianone to the show. Takeaways from I-70 series in St. Louis
The Kansas City Royals have a pair of dynamic rookies.
On Thursday, Noah Cameron and Jac Caglianone showcased why there is significant hype around their arrival. And for good reason.
Cameron turned in another dominant start in Game 1 of Thursday’s doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals. He matched MLB legend Fernando Valenzuela as the lone pitchers (since 1901) to allow one run or fewer in each of their first five starts.
This season, Cameron has a 0.85 ERA in 31 ⅔ innings pitched. The Royals had a decision to make with six healthy starters and Cameron proved why he belongs at the big-league level moving forward.
“Just some of the things people are saying about him I think shows how impressive he is,” Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino said. “The way he is able to manipulate multiple different pitches and miss barrels is huge for us.”
Across the diamond, Caglianone has quickly made a name for himself. The Royals promoted him from Triple-A Omaha earlier this week and charted a new offensive course.
Caglianone brings immediate power to the Royals lineup. He has hit sixth in the batting order and found quick success. In Game 1, Caglianone hit an RBI double to register the first MLB hit of his career.
“He’s going to impact a lot of games for us,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.
KC continues to utilize key rookies on the roster. Other contributors include John Rave, Andrew Hoffmann and Evan Sisk.
But Caglianone and Cameron lead the young group. As they continue to learn, the Royals hope to gain some more wins en route to another postseason berth.
Here are some takeaways from the I-70 series in St. Louis.
Doubleheader Delight
The Royals and Cardinals played two games on Thursday after inclement weather postponed Wednesday’s action.
Both teams arrived early ahead of a matinee start. The Royals gave Cameron an early lead before falling 6-5 in extra innings.
Vinnie Pasquantino went 4-for-5 in the game. Meanwhile, Jonathan India hit his second homer with the organization.
The Royals bullpen let them down. After Cameron tossed six scoreless innings, the Cardinals climbed back into the game. Cardinals star Willson Contreras was the local hero as he hit a walk-off single to win in extras.
In Game 2, the Royals held on to a 7-5 victory behind their offense.
KC starter Cole Ragans allowed five runs across three innings in a return from the 15-day injured list. However, the Royals offense picked him up with 12 hits, including two homers, in the win.
The Royals (33-30) split the doubleheader and won the I-70 series outright.
Royals offense heating up
The Royals reconfigured their batting order on Tuesday.
With the addition of Caglianone, Royals manager Matt Quatraro opted to put Maikel Garcia in the third spot. The change shifted Pasquantino to fourth and Salvador Perez to fifth.
It proved to be a success.
“I think the offense is coming up,” Garcia said. “We’re fighting, and like I said before, we scored a lot of runs this series and we are going to Chicago with the same mentality. Just trying to sweep them and play the game we played this series.”
The Royals scored 10 runs in the series opener as eight of the nine starters recorded a hit. KC followed with five runs in Game 1 of the doubleheader and seven in Game 2.
Caglianone offers a power element behind Pasquantino and Perez. Meanwhile, the Royals are depending on India, Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. to frequently be on base.
“I think I have to patient but like be aggressive too because they don’t want to face them with men on,” Garcia said. “And I can steal a base. So just be smart in those moments.”
The Royals hit five homers against the Cardinals. There was a home run in the first inning of each game. And Freddy Fermin visited “Big Mac Land” that was made famous by Cardinals icon Mark McGwire.
India continued his hot stretch at the plate. Prior to Game 2, he was hitting .360 with nine hits in his last 25 at-bats. Meanwhile, Garcia carried over his strong May, in which he hit .349, into June.
Garcia added a double to his ledger in the nightcap of Game 2. As a team, the Royals collected 37 hits in the series.
The Royals were also successful with runners in scoring position (RISP). In the series, the club was 11-for-33 and got production throughout the lineup.
Bobby Witt Jr. adds to highlight reel
Witt continues to make extraordinary plays look routine. In the third inning, he robbed Cardinals designated hitter Ivan Herrera with a diving catch.
Herrera laced a line drive towards shallow left field. Witt raced from his position and snared the baseball with full extension.
It was an important play. The Cardinals were surging against Ragans in the third inning. Witt recorded a crucial out that allowed Ragans to keep pitching in his start.
“That might be one of the best plays I’ve ever seen,” Ragans said. “I mean, watching the replay on the board, that’s full extension as far as he could go. He’s the best player in baseball for a reason. I don’t know if it shocks me, but at the same time, he does stuff every day that’s crazy. He makes it look routine and it’s unbelievably fun to watch.”
This story was originally published June 5, 2025 at 9:46 PM.
