Jac Caglianone is putting together the kind of spring training that makes front offices sit up and take notice.
The Kansas City Royals prospect struggled through his rookie season last year, but he’s absolutely crushing the ball in camp right now. We’re talking about exit velocity numbers that are off the charts.
Sarah Langs broke down the numbers, and they’re pretty incredible:
- Eight batted balls of 115 mph or higher this spring across all of baseball
- Caglianone has three of them – no one else has more than one
Those three scorchers for Caglianone tell the story:
- 120.2 MPH double
- 116.5 MPH double
- 115.2 MPH home run
That’s legitimate power right there.
Finding His Way
What makes Caglianone’s development interesting is the path he’s taken. At Florida, he was a legitimate two-way player – the guy could bring it on the mound too. That meant splitting time between hitting and pitching throughout college.
Now that he’s focused purely on hitting in pro ball, he’s had to adjust to that full-time mentality. It’s a different mindset when you’re not thinking about your next start every few days.
The Royals are also working him into more of an outfield role after he spent time at first base. So there are still some moving parts with his defensive profile.
But here’s the thing – when you can generate exit velocity like this, teams will find a place for you. The raw power is undeniable, and that’s usually the hardest thing to teach.
Caglianone’s rookie year might not have gone according to plan, but these spring numbers suggest he’s figuring things out. Sometimes it just takes time for everything to click.
