Royals need more than Jac Caglianone to fix their offensive woes

Tuesday is a big day for the Kansas City Royals. 

Their top prospect, first baseman/outfielder Jac Caglianone, will make his major league debut against the St. Louis Cardinals less than a year after being selected sixth overall in last year's MLB Draft. 

Caglianone, who is ranked as the 10th-best overall prospect by MLB.com, has dominated at both Double-A and Triple-A early this season. His combined slash line for those two levels is impressive: .322/.389/.593. The left-handed hitter has bashed righties to the tune of .331/.399/.609 and more than held his own against left-handed pitchers at .303/.368/.561.

He has 15 home runs and 56 RBI in just 50 games so far. He can provide the power the Royals desperately need. 

The Royals have one of the most toothless offenses in the majors. They rank dead last in home runs, and it isn't even close. They've accumulated only 34 dingers in 60 games, nine fewer than the next-worst team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. It is even worse than it appears, as seven of those home runs came in one game.

Kansas City ranks 28th in runs (194), 14th in batting average (.247) and 26th in slugging percentage (.359). It's been shut out six times and has only scored more than four runs nine times in 60 games. 

The Royals shouldn't realistically be hoping that Caglianone is going to save their offense. That is too much pressure to put on a young player with only 79 total professional games under his belt. Their vaunted rookie needs to be just one addition, not the only one. 

Only two Royals, shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and third baseman Maikel Garcia, are performing better than an average MLB player over the first two months of the season. One big bat, even if Caglianone can produce close to his minor league numbers, won't be enough. Kansas City needs to figure out a way to add another potent bat. 

In recent weeks, the Royals have added outfielders Drew Waters and John Rave and utility player Nick Loftin to their roster. While these players have produced better numbers than the veterans they replaced, they still aren't what anyone would consider to be significant additions to the lineup. Waters has been the best so far, but he's still nowhere near producing as much as a league-average player would. 

Too many at-bats are going to struggling offensive players like second basemen Michael Massey and Jonathan India, as well as the Waters, Ravr and Loftin. While adding Caglianone's bat should lengthen the batting order somewhat, it certainly doesn't fix the overwhelming problems the team has with a lack of hitters. 

It would help if catcher Salvador Perez and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino could get hot, or if India could do what he was acquired to do, which is get on base a little more. 

Caglianone's presence might strike a spark with the rest of the offense. Perhaps the front office can pull off an impactful trade despite its barren, talent-lacking minor league system. Both of these things need to happen for success. 

The Royals' pitching staff has more than pulled its weight thus far, sporting the second-best ERA (3.13) in the American League. How long can that last? Both the rotation and bullpen have suffered injuries in recent weeks. 

Caglianone might hit well, but he will likely struggle at times against major league pitchers. It is to be expected. Kansas City cannot expect him to be the savior for the offense. It is too much to ask of such an inexperienced player. The Royals need to find additional solutions to their hitting issues.