Why KC Royals took chance on Jac Caglianone’s unique skill-set in 2024 MLB Draft

Jac Caglianone waited patiently on draft night at his parents’ home in Tampa, Florida.

And the anticipation was mounting.

Caglianone, 21, entered the 2024 MLB Draft as one of the top available prospects. He had just mashed 35 home runs for the Florida Gators this spring. Furthermore, he posted a 4.76 ERA in 16 starts as a pitcher.

Good enough numbers to draw comparisons to mighty major-league superstar Shohei Ohtani … at least in terms of two-way potential at the highest level.

But first, Caglianone needed to hear his name called . He didn’t wait long as the Kansas City Royals selected him with the sixth overall pick Sunday night.

The news was validation. Caglianone could only think about his parents and their support to get him to this point.

“My closest friends and family were here tonight,” Caglianone said. “Being able to share it with them was, you know, a feeling that I dreamed of since high school. So getting the call and realizing I was going to be a Kansas City Royal, I was more than elated.

“It was a very surreal feeling and I was super excited. Being able to hug my dad, he has probably played the biggest role in all of this, was really nice. Just for him to be a part of it was super special.”

Caglianone is familiar with the Royals organization. He has trained with KC starting pitcher Brady Singer because the duo share a Gators connection.

Now, Caglianone will have a chance to matriculate through the Royals’ system and potentially share the field with him.

“To have the success that he has had with the Royals, it makes me feel really good about coming into Kansas City,” Caglianone said. “I’m really excited.”

The Royals will let Caglianone pursue a two-way career. The organization loves his powerful bat and believes his arm can develop in time. He has shown a lot of promise, with 70-grade power, per MLB.com.

He set a school record with 75 home runs in his collegiate career and won the 2024 John Olerud Award, given to college baseball’s best two-way player.

“It’s unique to have somebody that can do both and has done it at a really high level in the SEC,” Royals vice president and general manager J.J. Picollo said. “Doing it in the major leagues is another thing and that is something that we are going to continue to talk about with how this can work.”

Royals scouting director Brian Bridges likes how Caglianone has shown the ability to perform throughout his career.

“I love the way he plays the game,” Bridges said. “He is a good kid and he is a professional off the field. But on the field, he has a little Chase Utley to him. He plays hard, loves his teammates and wants to win.”

This past season, Caglianone struck out 26 times, drew 58 walks and posted a 1.419 OPS (on-base plus slugging).

As a pitcher, he registered 83 strikeouts in 73 2/3 innings for a rate of 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings. He features a fastball that can touch 100 mph and a cutter, slider and changeup.

The Royals haven’t yet decided just how much Caglianone will be utilized as a two-way player this summer.

“We know he is anxious and he wants to play,” Picollo said. “He is probably, and this is just a little bit of an assumption, in a better position to go out and hit this summer at some point than he is to pitch, given that he has had a layoff and there is a start up again.

“If he is going to pitch, we have to lay out the plan and part of it may be just not to do it this year. But that hasn’t been discussed with him yet. We will get to that part of it and lay out a plan when he gets to Kansas City.”

Caglianone is ready whenever his number is called.

He entered as a top-three draft prospect and slid to the Royals in the first round. The Royals were elated to land him, and now Caglianone wants to deliver on their good faith.

He plans to sign with the organization to begin his professional career soon.

“Going into this year, I knew what I needed to do and what I needed to stop doing,” he said. “It kind of clicked this year and it’s something I plan to carry over to the next level.”