The Royals opened the 2024 MLB Draft on Sunday with picks 6 and 41. Just yesterday, the front office traded away the 39th pick alongside Cayden Wallace to acquire flamethrowing reliever, Hunter Harvey. The first round was full of smoke and mirrors leading up to the draft, with talk of J.J. Wetherholt first overall. Instead, the Guardians went fairly chalk, selecting 2B Travis Bazzana first overall. From there, things went a bit sideways. RHP Chase Burns went second overall to the Reds, followed by Charlie Condon at three. Nick Kurtz and Hagen Smith followed, rounding out the draft’s top five.
That left the Royals with Bryce Rainer still on the board. Many reports leading up to the draft had the Royals honing in on the lefty Hagen Smith or Rainer, a prep shortstop. Instead, Kansas City opted to snag what many called the best available talent. The two-way college star, Jac Caglianone, was mocked by many as a lock for the Top 3. Instead, he falls to the Royals here at pick six. The Royals were ecstatic that the player fell to them there, with Executive Vice President and General Manager, J.J. Picollo calling it “a huge day for the organization.”
1B/LHP Jac Caglianone (Florida) – Round 1, Pick 6
The Royals took the best raw power in the entire draft class in Caglianone. In three years with the Gators, the 21-year-old slashed .355/.447/.760 with 75 home runs. In 2024, he silenced some of the concerns regarding his hit tool, hitting .419 with an 8.2% strikeout rate. The ceiling here is immense, and Caglianone could quickly find his way to the big leagues as early as 2025. In a media Zoom call on Sunday, “Cags” expressed gratitude that the Royals will allow him to continue to pitch as well as hit as he moves into the pro ranks.
The talent is certainly most impressive at the plate, but Caglianone can touch the upper 90s on the mound as well. The two-way talent has given him the nickname “Jactani” throughout his NCAA career thus far. For the Royals, it represents the continuation of a slight pattern in recent years. The team drafted prep pitcher Frank Mozzicato in 2021, followed by a college hitter, Gavin Cross the next season. In 2023, they opted for a prep talent in Blake Mitchell, and have followed that up here dipping once again into the college ranks in the first round.
As for my personal take on the selection, I believe the ceiling and makeup of the player are both well worth it. The power is off the charts, and Caglianone is a competitor through and through. At the same time, I have some reservations regarding the aggressive nature of Jac’s game at the plate. He struggled with extremely poor chase rates in college and may have a more difficult time finding success despite those in the pro ranks. Only time will tell, and the Royals seem more than up to the task.
LHP David Shields (Mt. Lebanon, PA)- Round 2, Pick 41
The Royals followed up their first-round pick with a prep lefty in Round Two. David Shields, a 17-year-old (one of just a few in this year’s class) pitcher out of Pennsylvania offers an impressive blend of ability and potential on the mound. Royals Director of Amateur Scouting, Brian Bridges, raved about his command on Sunday’s media call. “This guy is in the zone, and the most important thing is being in the zone,” Bridges said. “We have the people in player development who can help him get to his ceiling.”
Shields throws a three three-pitch mix, featuring a fastball, curveball, and changeup. The heater was touching 95 mph in looks last summer, but more often sits 90-92. Bridges mentioned Mike Soroka when discussing the long-term upside for Shields. Soroka was throwing 88-90mph when he was drafted by the Braves back in the 2015 MLB Draft. Shields is committed to the University of Miami but will almost certainly forgo that commitment to sign with the Royals this week. In Shields, the Royals get yet another high-upside teenage arm alongside last year’s selections Blake Wolters and Hiro Wyatt.
The draft resumes on Monday, with rounds 3-10 kicking off at 1:00 pm CST.