Royals Star, Florida Alum On Jac Caglianone: 'Hopefully, He's A Big Leaguer Soon'

Jac Caglianone absolutely balled out at the University of Florida, making him an easy first-round draft pick. He's racing through the minor leagues, hoping to make a quick impact in the majors for the Kansas City Royals.

There's one player on the Royals who certainly know what it takes to excel early in one's career, having won the Rookie of the Year Award in 2021. And he also happens to be a fellow Florida alum.

Jonathan India, who the Royals acquired from the Cincinnati Reds in a trade this winter, has never quite recaptured the magic of his 2021 debut, when he hit a career-best 21 home runs and had an OPS of .835. But he's still a player the Royals are counting on to be their leadoff hitter, and he's a veteran Caglianone can eventually solicit advice from when he arrives in KC.

On Tuesday, India was asked about his fellow former Gator. And he made it clear that the 22-year-old, who is crushing the ball in seven games with Triple-A Omaha, has everything it takes to come up and succeed right away.

"He's just very mature for his age," India said, per Lauren Michelson of KETV in Omaha. "He's very disciplined in his work. I saw right away in spring training this year that he kind of already acts like a big leaguer.

"He knows what it takes to get there, which is impressive at his age. I heard he's killing it down there. Hopefully, he's a big leaguer soon."

After zooming through Double-A in only 38 games, Caglianone is off to a roaring start in Omaha, with a 1.077 OPS and five home runs through his first seven games. If he keeps up that pace, the already-loud calls for his promotion will become desperate screams.

Meanwhile, India is struggling and so is the rest of the Royals' offense. As he attempts to learn both left field and third base at the major league level, India has a career-worst .631 OPS, and the Royals' team OPS of .661 ranks 26th in Major League Baseball.

Someday soon, India could be the one asking Caglianone for advice. It all depends on how aggressively the Kansas City front office is willing to be about pulling the trigger on a promotion.

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