Royals Writer Pours Cold Water On Aggressive Promotion Timeline For Jac Caglianone

As the Kansas City Royals struggle to find offense, calls for top prospect Jac Caglianone to be promoted are already starting to amplify.

Caglianone, the Royals' first-round draft pick in July, is perhaps the most powerful prospect in all of Minor League Baseball. He has two home runs already in five Double-A games, and both traveled over 460 feet.

After he laid waste to the pitching he saw in spring training, Caglianone's hot start in Double-A has plenty of Royals fans dreaming about a major-league debut in near-record time. The 22-year-old still has only played 34 games in MiLB, but he's showcasing a power tool no one on Kansas City's roster possesses.

However, one Royals columnist is here to urge fans and the team alike to pump the brakes.

On Thursday, the Kansas City Star's Sam McDowell advised the Royals to stick to their timeline and give Caglianone all the development he needs (both offensively and defensively), even if Kansas City's lineup continues to flounder early in the regular season.

"First, Caglianone is only starting to take some practice reps in the outfield. They’re still a ways from trying him in the outfield in an actual game," McDowell wrote. "Second, while there’s a scenario in which he skips Triple-A, it’s unlikely, barring an injury forcing their hand. The Royals knew the home runs would come. They see them."

"They’d also like to see how he develops full plate appearances, particularly when pitchers start throwing him heavy doses of breaking pitches or attempt to find and then attack his weaknesses. That’s not a bad thing (for now)."

The 22-year-old Caglianone went 9-for-18 with three home runs in spring training, and he's 7-for-21 with two long balls so far in the regular season. But over such a small sample size, the Royals are wise to be patient and wait for Caglianone to prove his plate discipline.

But the defensive piece is far more important. Because the Royals already have a full depth chart at first base, Caglianone will have to comfortably prove he can handle either outfield corner to have an everyday role when he's promoted.

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