Royals Won't Rush Jac Caglianone to Majors

After captivating the nation as a Florida Gator, Jac Caglianone continues to make his way up the Kansas City Royals' minor league system, while continuing to make strong impressions as he’s done at every previous stop.

With scary power and poise, the newest Omaha Storm Chaser outfielder displays a power that leaves no doubt with a well-struck ball. Now, the former UF standout gains experience and seasoning in Triple-A, and he’s taking full advantage with five home runs in eight games.

At this current rate, Caglianone will probably make his major league debut shortly after the All-Star. Normally, teams want to bring their top prospects along slowly, and they should. However, with the baseball flying off his bat with otherworldly velocity, changing the status quo would fit.

The one major obstacle left for Caglianone is getting accustomed to the outfield. During his time at Florida, he played first base and pitched. Now, he expands his game to the outfield, a move that will expedite his call-up.

Once he gets the hang of that move, the Royals could start to plan their future. In contrast, Royals’ general manager J.J. Picollo told The Athletic that the team won’t ask Caglianone to be the hero of the organization. 

Kansas City is currently 30-27 and seven games behind first place in the AL Central. 

“It’s not fair to any player, whether it’s Jac Caglianone or whoever,” Picollo said, “when a team is maybe scuffling offensively, to try to put it on him and hope he’s going to come save the day. The best way to break any player into the major leagues is to try to bring them up when the team’s hot offensively, scoring some runs."

He also emphasized the need to let Caglianone truly develop as a player. 

“I don’t want to put a timetable on it, but we want to see him for a little bit,” Picollo said". “This first week was great, but we certainly weren’t saying when he went to Triple A, ‘Have a good first week, and we’ll bring him to Kansas City.’”

In all honesty, Piccolo's viewpoint makes sense. 

You can name a dozen or so players that organizations rushed through the minors, only to see them wash out. Kansas City spent a high first-round draft pick. They envision Caglianone as the centerpiece of their future. 

No, he is neither George Brett, Alex Gordon, nor Mike Moustakas at either the plate or the field. What he brings is the ability to hit the ball out of any ballpark, with the ability to drive runs in by the bushel. Will he hit .310 every year? No one knows that. What they do know is that Caglianone will make his eventual mark in Kansas City.

More From Florida Gators on SI