How do Jac Caglianone’s first 20 games as a Royal compare to Bobby Witt Jr.’s?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Caglianone logged 13 hits and 2 home runs in 73 at bats over his first 20 games.
- Witt Jr. recorded 17 hits and no home runs in 77 at bats during his first 20 games.
- Both first-round picks took different development paths before debuting in Kansas City.
Jac Caglianone has played 20 games in the majors.
He reached that mark in Thursday afternoon’s series finale against Tampa Bay. The Royals fell 4-0 and extended their home losing streak to 10 games.
Fans — and those in the clubhouse — have high hopes for the former top prospect as the team continues to struggle with its bats. The anticipation around Caglianone is not unlike that which surrounded now-star player Bobby Witt Jr. when he was called up in 2022.
Witt and Caglianone share other similarities.
Both were first round picks: Witt was picked second overall in 2019 and Caglianone sixth overall in 2024.
Witt was drafted straight out of high school. He was called up to the majors at 21 years old after three years in the minors.
Caglianone took the college route and played three seasons at the University of Florida. Between last year’s draft and being called up on June 2, Caglianone had a brief 79 game stint in the minors.
Players and fans have embraced Caglianone’s arrival.
In the weeks since his debut, Caglianone has reached several milestones including his first major league home runs (the first came with the classic rookie silent treatment, but the second was close behind that same night).
Still, the jump to the majors is always an adjustment.
“You get up here, and I feel like the jump is a lot bigger than a lot of people think from Triple-A to the big leagues,” Witt said.
How did the two perform while making that jump?
In Witt’s first 20 games, he had 77 at-bats where he recorded 17 hits (five doubles, one triple, no home runs), six runs and five RBIs. He struck out 20 times and walked twice.
Compare that to Caglianone’s 73 at-bats where he recorded 13 hits (three doubles, no triples, two home runs), three runs and four RBIs. He struck out 16 times and walked four times.
Though Caglianone trails Witt in hits and runs over the first 20 games, there aren’t major discrepancies from how they started.
Witt continued to heat up through his rookie season, which he finished with 20 home runs, 80 RBIs and a batting average of .254.
As Caglianone continues to find his footing in the majors, Witt said his daily advice to the rookie is simple.
“You’re a big leaguer and you’ve got to go out there and don’t try to do more, don’t try to do less,” Witt said. “Just go out there and be Jac Caglianone and the rest will take care of itself.”
