The stat sheet doesn't tell an accurate story of his debut Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Former Gators Caglianone Shows Poise In Royals Debut

Originally posted on Florida Gators on SI
By Harrison Smajovits | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 10:30 AM ET

Former Florida Gators baseball star Jac Caglianone saw the ball well in his Major League debut with the Kansas City Royals. He went 0-for-5 in the 10-7 comeback win over the St. Louis Cardinals, putting the ball in play each time.

A hitless debut is a bit of a whimper on the surface, but there was more to his debut. In his first at-bat, he hit a line drive into right-center field, just to have it run down by Victor Scott II.

First big league AB in the books for Jac Caglianone pic.twitter.com/cohBJRzIih
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 4, 2025

Later on in the game, he hit a 112 mph ball off the bat but right at third baseman and 10-time Gold Glove winner Nolan Arenado. He had another ground out that came off the bat at 113 mph.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said after the game that he was pleased with Caglianone's approach at the plate in his debut and the contact he made.

"He was great in the dugout," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said via ESPN. "He went up there, attacked. I think it was a bad idea to hit it to those two guys his first two at-bats. There's a really, really good catch in the first at-bat, and then anything you hit to Arenado is not really a great idea. But he squared it up. He was ready to go. He looked poised. There will be plenty of hits for him."

The Royals quickly found themselves down 7-2 after taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. A six spot in the top of the fifth inning gave them back the lead, and they never relinquished it. Caglianone was the first and third out of the inning as the team batted around in the order. His fellow Gator, Jonathan India, picked up three hits in the game and came around to score all three times.

It'll be a day he'll never forget regardless. While he was the hitless guy during a rally, he got his career started by being part of a statement win.