The Kansas City Royals selected two-way player Jac Caglianone with the sixth-overall selection in the 2024 Rule 4 Draft. He had a busy 2024 season, appearing in 116 games between the SEC, Midwest League, and the Arizona Fall League. Across 542 plate appearances at the three levels, Caglianone hit .337 with 42 home runs. By the end of the Fall League, “Cags” had earned a well-deserved rest as the offseason got underway. He flashed with thunderous exit velocities for High-A Quad Cities and Surprise in the Fall League. Now, looking ahead to 2025, the Royals have rewarded their prized top prospect with a trip to Arizona once again.
This time around, Caglianone will attend Major League Spring Training. MLB.com Royals beat reporter Anne Rogers announced the news early Friday. The Royals have invited Caglianone to Major League Spring Training to open his first full season as a professional. It marks the first hitting prospect for the Royals since Alex Gordon to attend MLB Spring Training before their first full season as a professional. Caglianone drafted as a two-way player, won’t pitch in 2025 either. In a quote from Rogers’ newsletter on Friday, Caglianone laid out the decision.
“It’s really important for me to focus on the biggest impact I think I can make right now, and that’s on the offensive side at the Major League level,” Caglianone said. “We both agree on that. I think that would be the fastest track to getting there. The pitching is something I need to develop a little bit more, and it’s like, ‘Will that delay my arrival time?’ More than likely, that’s true.
The bat won’t be the only focus in 2025, either. Caglianone has long been a first baseman, but Kansas City prioritizes versatility at the Major League level. According to Rogers, the Royals may work their top prospect in the outfield some later this season, depending on how he progresses at the plate. In other words, if the bat is strong enough, they’ll do anything they can to fit him into the big league roster. With Vinnie Pasquantino at first base and a mixture of Salvador Perez at designated hitter, a move to the outfield makes a ton of sense. Caglianone didn’t play outfield at Florida or as a professional in 2024, but should he prove athletic enough to make the move, it’ll only strengthen his chances to reach the big leagues sooner.
The Royals have been unable to add a true middle-of-the-order bat thus far in the offseason. The latest developments from Caglianone point to his arrival sooner rather than later. Should that be the case, the Royals could be poised to add to their lineup in a big way from the farm system alone.