The Kansas City Royals knew they had a good one in Jac Caglianone, but it took a few games for his impact to show up in the box scores.
After the 22-year-old slugger put up just two hits in his first five major league games, his batting average stood at .095. But on Sunday, the top power-hitting prospect in baseball brought his A-game to Rate Field.
As the Royals looked to avoid a sweep against the Chicago White Sox, Caglianone delivered four hits, three of which were hit over 101 miles per hour. Kansas City won 7-5, and the rookie raised his average to a respectable .240 mark.
After the game, a relieved Caglianone had the perfect response to his big day.
“It felt really good,” said Caglianone, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com. “It was a huge thanks to all the guys out here in the locker room. They were very supportive through it all, hitting balls hard and not really much to show for it. Thankfully they found some grass today.”
Caglianone was having at-bats that were far too good not to be producing some better results. Thankfully, those results showed up when his team needed them on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Royals are back in Kansas City on Tuesday for the first time since Caglinanone's major league debut. They'll face off with the star-laden New York Yankees, and all of baseball is still salivating over the rookie's eventual first major league home run.
“I’m more excited for the first home run,” Royals catcher Salvador Perez said, per Rogers. “I want to see where that ball is going to go.”
The image of a 450-plus-foot homer splashing into the fountains at Kauffman Stadium would do wonders for all Royals fans' psyche.
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