Here’s what Royals want to see from top prospect Jac Caglianone in the outfield
Despite recent improvement from the Royals’ offense, they still are getting the worst production from right field in all of baseball.
Royals right fielders are last in Major League Baseball in slugging percentage (.230), RBIs (five), batting average (.164), extra base hits (five) and tied for last with just one home run.
So it didn’t go unnoticed when top prospect Jac Caglianone began getting playing time in right field at Double-A Northwest Arkansas. That’s in addition to his usual position at first base.
Caglianone, who was the Royals’ first-round pick in last year’s MLB Draft, has appeared in four games in right field, so he’s only dipped his toe in the water at the position. But Caglianone has handled all 11 chances without making an error.
Royals general manager J.J. Picollo was asked Monday about pitcher Noah Cameron, who flirted with a no-hitter last week in a spot-start, then was sent back to Triple-A Omaha. Picollo’s sentiment also applied to Caglianone.
“Giving guys more time in the minor leagues is always the right time for development,” PIcollo said, “and you’d rather call a guy up when he’s ready to be called up and you know he can contribute to a winning team, as opposed to having to call him up.”
What Royals want from Caglianone
Caglianone put on a show over the weekend when the Naturals played in Springfield, Missouri. He hit a pair of home runs, including one that landed on the roof of a building.
On Tuesday, Caglianone clubbed two more home runs, including a go-ahead three-run bomb in the eighth inning of the Naturals’ 5-4 win over Wichita. The Major League Baseball account shared video of both homers on social media.
In 28 games with Northwest Arkansas, Caglianone has eight home runs, six doubles and 31 RBIs with a .330 average and 1.012 OPS. There’s no question Caglianone can hit the ball hard, but I asked Picollo what he wants to see from the 22-year-old prospect in the outfield.
“It’s angles and reads and jumps. I mean this outfield is big,” Picollo said as he looked at the Kauffman Stadium field from the Royals dugout. “I’m not gonna say it’s difficult to play, but you’ve got to cover a lot of ground.”
Cagianone, who is 6 foot 5 and 225 pounds, has been rated as a 40 runner by Baseball Savant on a scale of 20 to 80. But Picollo said playing in the outfield is about more than being fast.
Picollo mentioned Royals center fielder Kyle Isbel isn’t the speediest player, but his knowledge is a big reason for his success.
“His jumps and his angles, his first step, angles to ball, are among the best in the league,” Picollo said of Isbel. “So not that we would expect Jac to try to be Izzy, but you want him to get to a level where those reads become a little more natural. He gets the right depth on balls hit to his left and right. He’s able to cut balls off down the line.
“You know, the one thing we try to caution guys, and we know Jac’s got great arm strength, as an outfielder, you’ve got to be really smart. Guys tend to want to throw guys out. That’s where you get in trouble. We want to just basically keep the double play in order as much as you can. So just trying to let him make some of those mistakes so we can correct them as we go. And that’ll take a little bit of time.”
Here is video of Caglianone in right field.
Royals left fielders have struggled at the plate, too, with just two home runs and eight RBIs this season.
But Caglianone, who hits and throws left-handed, makes sense in right field.
“First baseman, on the same side of the field. So with left-handed hitters, angles off the bat, it’s more natural for him to go to right,” Picollo said. “And you want your best arm in right field, so that fits well also.”
This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 9:56 AM.
