Jac Caglianone
| Jac Caglianone | |
|---|---|
 Caglianone in 2023 | |
| Kansas City Royals | |
| First baseman | |
| Born: February 9, 2003 Tampa, Florida, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Jeffrey Alan "Jac" Caglianone (born February 9, 2003) is an American professional baseball first baseman in the Kansas City Royals organization. He was selected by the Royals with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Caglianone played college baseball for the Florida Gators as an infielder and pitcher.
Amateur career
[edit]High school career
[edit]Caglianone grew up in Tampa, Florida, and attended Henry B. Plant High School.[1] As a junior in 2020, he played in Perfect Game's All-American Classic for top high school players held at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and was named a Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-American and the MLB Network/Sirius XM Two-Way Player of the year. As a senior, he batted .371 with three home runs and posted a 2.44 ERA with two saves and 65 strikeouts over 37+1⁄3 innings pitched.[2] Caglianone tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow while playing in a postseason All-Star game after his senior season, subsequently undergoing Tommy John surgery.[3]
In high school, Caglianone was a two-pitch pitcher who featured a mid-90s fastball projected to average 94 miles per hour (151 km/h) and measured at up to 97–98 miles per hour (156–158 km/h), as well as a slurve-like curveball, while his throws as a first baseman were projected to be 90 miles per hour (140 km/h).
College career
[edit]Caglianone initially planned on redshirting his freshman season at Florida while recovering from his elbow operation, but ultimately played as a designated hitter.[4] He batted .288 with seven home runs during his freshman season.[5] Caglianone returned to pitching during Florida's fall practices in 2022.[6] He entered his sophomore season as both a starting pitcher and as the Gators' starting first baseman.[7] Caglianone was named the NCBWA Player of the Month for February after collecting 15 hits in 35 at-bats with seven home runs and striking out 15 batters over 11+1⁄3 innings pitched.[8] He broke Florida's single-season home run record after hitting his 27th of the year and finished with 33.[9]
In his junior year in 2024, he hit home runs in nine straight games, including one against Jacksonville that traveled an estimated 516 feet (157 m), farther than any home run recorded in the major leagues since Statcast was introduced in 2015.[10] This also tied the record for most home runs hit in consecutive games at the NCAA level.[11] Caglianone also surpassed Matt LaPorta for the most career home runs by a Florida player, with 75. As a result of his power at the plate, during the 2024 Men's College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, his opponents would often utilize an infield shift during his plate appearances, with the third baseman positioned as a fourth outfielder.[12]
Professional career
[edit]After his junior season at Florida, Caglianone was drafted by the Kansas City Royals with the 6th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.[13] Caglianone signed with the Royals on July 23 and received a $7.21 million signing bonus.[14] Caglianone was assigned to the Quad Cities River Bandits of the High-A Midwest League to begin his professional career.[15] On April 10, he recorded a single that at the time was the 12th-hardest-hit ball ever recorded during the Statcast era.[16] On April 25, he played in right field, his first time in the college or the minor league level being in the outfield. For the 2025 season, Caglianone was promoted to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals of the Double-A Texas League. He still has yet to pitch at the professional level, instead opting to focus on his development as a position player.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ Rodriguez, Hector (July 21, 2020). "Five UF commits who could play in the Perfect Game All-American Classic". Rivals.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ^ Bortner, Sullivan (October 14, 2021). "Meet the Gators: Jac Caglianone". FloridaGators.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ^ Rodriguez, Hector (August 8, 2021). "Florida Gators 2021 Baseball Recruiting Class". Rivals.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ Weinrib, Ben (July 14, 2024). "'This dude really can do it all': How setbacks put Caglianone on path to stardom". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
- ^ Rudner, Jacob (February 6, 2023). "Florida baseball position group preview: Designated hitter". 247Sports.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ Hearn, Ashley (January 10, 2023). "Catching Up with Cags: Florida Baseball's Jac Caglianone". WRUF.com. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ Anderson, R.J. (February 26, 2023). "Florida's Jac Caglianone homers three times, strikes out six as two-way player maintains hot start to season". CBS Sports. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ Rudner, Jacob (March 3, 2023). "Caglianone named NCBWA National Player of the Month". 247Sports.com. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ Thompson, Edgar (May 6, 2023). "UF sluggers Jac Caglianone, Skylar Wallace setting records". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ Jacobson, Cole (April 16, 2024). "'Collegiate Ohtani' runs HR streak to 7 with MONSTER shot". MLB.com. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
- ^ Cahill, Teddy (April 20, 2024). "Jac Caglianone Home Run Streak Ends At 9 Games, Ties NCAA Record". Baseball America. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
- ^ Peery, Wade (June 15, 2024), Texas A&M employs insane shift for Jac Caglianone in CWS matchup, University of Florida, retrieved March 14, 2024
- ^ Rogers, Anne (July 14, 2024). "Two-way Caglianone 'too good to pass up' for Royals at No. 6". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- ^ Franco, Anthony (July 23, 2024). "Royals Sign First-Round Pick Jac Caglianone". mlbtraderumors.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Johnston, TJ (August 6, 2024). "MIDWEST LEAGUE: Caglianone rips double for first pro hit". Quad-City Times. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
- ^ "Caglianone's latest must-see feat: A 120.9 mph base hit?!". MLB.com. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
- ^ Connon, Sam (April 25, 2025). "Kansas City Royals Top Prospect Jac Caglianone Makes Major Move, Starts in Outfield". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from MLB · Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Florida Gators bio