Royals phenom Jac Caglianone reflects on whirlwind year as 2025 MLB Draft commences
A year ago, Kansas City Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone was sitting at home waiting for his name to be called.
Caglianone, who starred at the University of Florida, was a known commodity among those in MLB Draft circles. He had the skill set to be selected as a two-way player in the 2024 MLB Draft.
The Royals felt the same. KC drafted Caglianone sixth overall and set him on the fast track toward the big leagues.
“Crazy would probably be the best word for it,” Caglianone said of his yearlong journey. “Me and Elli (McKissock) were talking about it this morning. She was like, ‘Happy draft day.’ It’s weird to think a lot has happened in a year.”
Caglianone needed 11 months to reach the majors. He smashed through the Royals’ minor-league system and made his MLB debut against the St. Louis Cardinals in June.
The Royals raved about his raw power. It was on display at each stop in the minors with buzzworthy highlights serving as a constant reminder.
The Royals also were delighted with his ability to learn the outfield. Caglianone has fared well in right despite undergoing growing pains at the plate.
“This is probably the first time he’s struggled like this in his life, and he’s doing it on the biggest stage,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said recently.
But Caglianone is learning.
He recently hit a 466-foot home run that landed atop the batter’s eye at Kauffman Stadium. And he is starting to recognize pitch selections and gradually becoming more patient during at-bats.
This weekend, he met with New York Mets star Pete Alonso in Kansas City. Both attended Plant High School in Tampa, Florida. Alonso was also a former standout for the Florida Gators and offered Caglianone some words of wisdom.
“It’s all about figuring out how to be the same person and what got you to the big leagues at the biggest stage,” Alonso said. “He’s obviously got the tools and definitely showed he didn’t belong in the minor leagues. Like, he absolutely crushed it.”
Caglianone took the words to heart. He is focused on finding consistency during the second half of the season.
“You know, Pete’s always got good advice,” Caglianone said. “We talked about it for 10 minutes and just how things are going. Just (talked about) stuff that kind of helped him get through when he first started out.”
Caglianone is hitting .140 (18-for-129) with four home runs and seven RBIs in 35 games. Two of those homers came in his last seven games.
The Royals have consistently started him in right field. He will get a few days off before returning to action against the Miami Marlins on Friday night.
“There’s no secret formula, no secret sauce,” Alonso said. “It’s just about having to get better every day and apply the lessons you learned from the previous day.”
