Less than 11 months after hearing his name called as the sixth player drafted in the 2024 MLB Draft and the Kansas City Royals’ No. 1 pick out of Florida last July, Gator great Jac Caglianone’s name is being called once again, but this time, it’s to the big show. Caglianone is seeing his dream come true and heading to the big the leagues.
Jeff Passan of ESPN on Sunday night reported that the Kansas City Royals are calling up the 22-year-old left-handed slugger and their top prospect from Triple-A Omaha.
Florida great Jac Caglianone is getting promoted again
Caglianone, the former Gator, is 6-foot, 250lb with power capable of producing top-tier exit velocities, which he demonstrated this past season with AA and AAA.
After hitting .322/.394/.553, with a .947 OPS in just his first two months with Double-A Northwest Arkansas, the Royals called up Caglianone to Triple-A Omaha, where he has been for just two. The Gator boy stayed hot, hitting .319/.370/.723, with an impressive 1.093 OPS. Between AA and AAA, he had nine doubles, 15 home runs, 56 RBIs, and 41 runs scored. Five of those home runs came in just his first four games with AAA Omaha, putting the pressure on Kansas City to fast-track his call-up while he was hot.
Caglianone, ranked 10th on MLB.com’s top prospect list, is expected to join the struggling Kansas City on Tuesday when they open a three-game series in St. Louis against the Cardinals.
The biggest need for the Royals is outfield offense. And though Caglianone is primarily a first baseman, he has been getting reps in right field in the minor leagues, and there has been chatter that right field could be where he opens his big league career with the Royals.
While the Royals were trying to be conservative and not rush Caglianone’s development, after hitting a combined .322/.389/.593, with 15 home runs and 56 RBIs in 50 games between AA and AAA, the Royals knew this was the best decision. Currently, the Royals’ offense has just 34 home runs, the fewest in the league, and they have scored 194 runs, the third fewest in the MLB this season.
With their offense continuing to struggle, calling up Caglianone while he's hot was their only choice. Putting his bat in the lineup increases their chances for momentum, excitement, and runs.
Jac Caglianone gets emotional as he gets called up
One of the great moments in sports is when is prospect gets called up from AAA to the big club in MLB. While Caglianone didn't spend much time with Omaha or in the minor leagues, you could tell how much this moment meant to him to get the call.
In a video posted by the Kansas City Royals on social media, they captured the moment for Caglianone and the first thing he thought of was he needed to call his dad.