Jac Caglianone Continues Stellar Start to 2025 Season, Now Leads League in Major Category

One of the most exciting prospects in baseball, Caglianone was the No. 6 pick in the MLB Draft last year. He helped lead the University of Florida to the College World Series in 2024 and was the John Olerud winner as the nation's best two-way player.

He's hitting .295 with four home runs and a stolen base, and he's running an on-base percentage of .375. He's predicted to make his major league debut in 2026, but the Royals could fast-track him if he continues to develop and if they need a bat for the playoff stretch.

Kansas City enters play on Thursday at 16-15 overall. They are finishing up a series with the Rays on Thursday afternoon before a weekend series at the Baltimore Orioles.

The following comes from a portion of Caglianone's MLB.com prospect profile:

Caglianone’s power was arguably the best in the 2024 Draft class. The left-handed slugger maxed out with a 121.7 mph exit velocity as a junior and didn’t stop there with a 117.3 mph max EV in the Fall League, second-best among batted balls measured by Statcast. That comes from Caglianone’s major strength at 6-foot-5 and the long levers that come with such a frame. He significantly cut his swing-and-miss rate in college in ’24, but he also swung a ton in general with a 39 percent chase rate. That was down only a touch in the Fall League, and more advanced arms will be able to take advantage if Caglianone can’t rein in his approach.