After speed running through the minor league system for the Kansas City Royals, former Florida Gator star Jac Caglianone made his MLB debut on Tuesday night. We went 0-5 on Tuesday, but his exit velocity off the bat was indicative of someone who would soon enough have the hits come.
After Wednesday's game for Kansas City got rained out, Caglianone showcased on Thursday just why he made it to The Show as quickly as he did.
Jac Caglianone notches his first MLB hit with a double
One of the things that was evident on Tuesday and showed up in Caglianone's first bat on Thursday was his willingness to swing at the first pitch. Even though his exit velocity was solid, one could argue that he could benefit from taking a couple of pitches.
So in his second at bat on Thursday, he took the first pitch for a strike, which was just a good pitch and wouldn't have been one to swing at anyway. He was tardy on the second pitch, a fastball at the top of the zone.
But then, on an 0-2 count, Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas left something hanging in the middle of the zone, and Caglianone did not miss. He ripped a double down the right field line to not only get his first career hit, but it also served as his first career RBI to put the Royals up 2-0.
Caglianone took 199 at-bats between AA and AAA in 2025 before being called up to the big leagues. He was hitting .322 with 15 home runs and an OPS of .982.
During his time with the Gators, Caglianone was a two-way star. In 2024, he hit .419 with 35 home runs and a slugging percentage of .875. He wound up with 75 home runs during his time at Florida, breaking the all-time Gator record.