Less than a week in the major leagues, and he’s already earning comparisons to a legend.
Jac Caglianone made his debut for the Kansas City Royals on June 3 as a designated hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals. It was an incredibly quick ascent through the Royals’ minor league system for the 22-year-old, who was drafted in the first round (No. 6 overall) of the 2024 draft last July.
In fact, Caglianone became the first Royals player since Bo Jackson in 1986 to reach the big leagues during the same calendar year in which he was drafted. And that would be just the first time during his opening week that Caglianone’s name would be linked to the sports icon.
Jac Caglianone Joins Bo Jackson as Only Royals Players With 4-Hit Game in Debut Week
In Kansas City’s 7-5 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, Caglianone had his first multi-hit game for the Royals, going 4-for-4 with three singles and a double. And with that, Caglianone joined Jackson as the only players in franchise history to have a four-hit game within their first six games as a big-leaguer.
“I can’t wait to see what that guy’s going to do in the big leagues,” Royals team captain Salvador Perez said of the 6-foot-5, 250-pound outfielder. “He’s one of the best. That’s a big dude, too, so I think he’s going to do well.”
He’s already made a big impression. The left-handed slugger, who got the baseball world buzzing in early April with an opposite-field single for Double-A Northwest Arkansas that left his bat at a reported 120.9 mph, has hit the ball as advertised, with the crack of his bat that just sounds different than most.
“I think he makes great contact on a regular basis, regardless of what level he is at,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.
So there weren’t any concerns when Caglianone had just two hits in his first 21 at bats. After going 0-for-5 in his debut, Caglianone did get his first MLB hit, as well as his first RBI, in the second game of his career on Thursday, lining a double into the right-field corner off Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas to score Perez.
“He’s going to impact a lot of games for us,” Quatraro said. “We’re pretty confident in that. You know, he’s been swinging the bat fine. Squared the ball up his first time as well, but for him to get that first one out of the way and kind of get that relaxation, that feel, is good for him, and it’s good for us.”
Jac Caglianone Impresses Kansas City Teammates With Confident Approach
Two more hitless games was followed by a 1-for-4 effort on Saturday, but Caglianone’s teammates were impressed with how the rookie continued to approach every encounter at the plate.
“He treats pressure like a privilege,” Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr. said. “It’s one of those things: This is where he’s supposed to be. He’s supposed to be here today. And then he’s going to make the most of it. … And he’s just being himself. He’s not changing anything. And that’s what he has to do to be able to help us.”
Still, it was refreshing for the Royals to see Caglianone reach base four times in the game Sunday.
“Jac’s had 20 at-bats and he squared a bunch of balls up in those 20,” Quatraro said. “Today he got rewarded for it. Any time you can do that, it’s a plus to keep squaring them up.”
And after a rapid rise that saw Caglianone post a slash line of .322/.389/.593 with 15 home runs and 56 RBIs in 50 games combined at the Double-A and Triple-A levels earlier this season, the Royals can’t wait to see what he does next.
“We feel like he’s prepared for the moment,” said Royals general manager J.J. Piccolo.
MLB Rookie Already Earning Comparisons to Sports Legend in First Week