Former Florida Gators versatile athlete and Kansas City Royals leading prospect Jac Caglianone is set to have his initial opportunity to compete with the major leaguers.
As per MLB.com’s Anne Rogers, Caglianone will join the Royals’ big league camp when Spring Training starts next month. He will be included in the list of non-roster invitees to the camp.
The Gators’ standout is receiving an uncommon recognition from the Royals. He is the first first-round selection entering their initial complete spring training to receive an invitation since Royals all-star Alex Gordon in 2006. Pitcher Brandon Finnegan can be included too, but he had already debuted in the MLB (and in the World Series) by this time.
However, it is essential to mention that he will concentrate exclusively on batting throughout his Spring Training period.
Caglianone stands out as one of the most exciting Gators baseball players in recent times. In 165 games, with 164 starts, he posted a .355/.447/.760 line through 634 at-bats. He smashed 75 home runs, drove in 189 runs, crossed home plate 176 times, and accumulated 225 hits. He holds both the career home run record for the program and the single-season record (35).
In his final season, he had more home runs than strikeouts while batting (26).
On the mound, he recorded a career 4.55 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, and achieved 170 strikeouts in 148 1/3 innings.
His achievements garnered him First Team All-American honors from various organizations (D1B, BA, ABCA, NCBWA), the 2024 John Olerud 2-Way Player of the Year title, the 2024 Perfect Game Two-Way Player of the Year recognition, 2023 and 2024 All-SEC First Team selections, and a spot as a finalist for the 2023 Golden Spikes Award.
Tied for the fourth-highest Gator selected in the MLB draft by the Kansas City Royals (sixth overall) together with John Burke and A.J. Puk.
In addition to being the top prospect for the Royals, he ranks as the No. 17 prospect in the overall MLB pipeline.
It’s improbable he earns a spot on the Royals’ Opening Day roster, but it’s not a totally rare event. His former Gators teammate, Wyatt Langford, started the season with the Texas Rangers in his initial full professional year.
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