During his time with Florida Baseball, Jac Caglianone became so dominant and was feared by opposing pitchers that he started getting the Barry Bond treatment. The question for him as he makes the jump to the professional game is whether his free-swinging nature would translate.
One thing that has for sure translated is that when Caglianone does hit a ball, it still goes a long way and in a Spring Training game on Sunday he hit a tape measure shot that drew the attention of the entire baseball world.
Florida Baseball: 435 feet
In a Spring Training game against the White Sox, Caglianone got a hold of a pitch that he sent 435 feet over the fence. It was measured at 115.4 MPH off the bat.
Even if you were at the ballpark but had turned your head for a moment, the crack off the bat was enough to know the ball was leaving the park.
Jac Caglianone's first #SpringTraining home run was an absolute no-doubter.
— MLB (@MLB) February 23, 2025
115.4 MPH and 435 feet 💪 pic.twitter.com/JDw4K2LqjU
After setting the career home run record at Florida, Caglianone was drafted by the Kansas City Royals and spent the rest of 2024 in a combination of A+ and the Arizona Fall League. He managed seven home runs over 50 games between the two leagues. He also had 35 RBIs in those 50 games.
But his batting average did dip to .240 while his strikeout ticked up.
MLB.Com considers Caglianone to be the 22nd-best prospect in all of baseball, and he is the top prospect in the Royals system. He is with the Royals Spring Training squad as a Non-Roster Invitee and is expected to head back to the minors once the exhibition games are done.
The Royals and Caglianone are hoping he can follow the fast track that fellow Gator Wyatt Langford followed with Texas last season, as he became one of the fastest call-ups in MLB history.