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Jac Caglianone

MLBTR Podcast: Jarren Duran Rumors, Caglianone And Young Promoted, And Pitching Injuries

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • If the Diamondbacks can’t climb in the standings, what does their deadline look like? (48:45)
  • As a thought experiment, if the Orioles were willing to listen on Gunnar Henderson, what teams would even have the pieces to pull off a trade? (54:10)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images

Royals Promote Jac Caglianone

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June 2: The Royals formally announced that Caglianone’s contract has been selected from Triple-A Omaha. Their 40-man roster is now full. Outfielder Dairon Blanco was optioned to Omaha to clear a space on the active roster. Kansas City is off today, so Caglianone’s debut will come tomorrow in St. Louis against Cardinals righty Andre Pallante.

June 1: One of baseball’s top hitting prospects is headed to the majors, as ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that the Royals are calling up Jac Caglianone.  The Royals have an off-day on Monday, which lines Caglianone up for his big league debut on Tuesday when the Royals start a series in St. Louis against the Cardinals.  There are only 39 players on Kansas City’s 40-man roster, so the club can select Caglianone’s contract on Tuesday and then make just one corresponding transaction to create space on the active roster.

It was less than a year ago that Caglianone was still awaiting his draft call, as the University of Florida product was selected just in the 2024 draft when Kansas City took him sixth overall.  Caglianone joins Cam Smith and Nick Kurtz as 2024 first-rounders that have already made their way to the Show, and Caglianone has (as you might expect) forced the issue by obliterating minor league pitching.  While he had only a .690 OPS in 126 plate appearances at high-A ball in 2024, Caglianone has a combined .323/.391/.600 slash line in 225 combined PA at the Double-A and Triple-A levels this year.

Caglianone just played in his 12th Triple-A game today, so as dominant as the 22-year-old slugger has been, a case can be made that the Royals are being hasty in bringing him up to the majors this early in his pro career.  That said, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams noted just a few days ago, K.C. might’ve felt a bit of added motivation due to how little the team has gotten from its lineup, particularly in the outfield.

Today’s 1-0 loss to the Tigers marked the Royals’ sixth shutout loss of the season.  Kansas City is tied with the Pirates for the second-lowest run total (194) in baseball, ahead of only the woeful Rockies.  With the Royals ranking at or near the bottom of the league in several other major offensive categories, something had to give, especially since the team’s strong rotation was almost single-handedly keeping K.C. in the AL Central race.

The seeds for Caglianone’s quick promotion were planted when he made his first appearance as an outfielder with Double-A NW Arkansas back in late April.  Both a star first baseman and pitcher during his college days, Caglianone gave up on pitching to solely focus on hitting as a professional, and he has received a regular dose (though not an exclusive position change) of right field work over the last five weeks of minor league action.

With Vinnie Pasquantino playing first base in K.C. and several players getting cycled through the DH spot, putting Caglianone into right field is a logical way on paper for the Royals to both get a star prospect to the majors, and to help solve their longstanding need for outfield help.  Even as the Royals reached the playoffs in 2024, their entire outfield was a major weak link, and Kansas City’s attempts to upgrade the position over the offseason just didn’t really pan out.  Caglianone’s promotion is the latest step in a shake-up that has already seen MJ Melendez optioned to Triple-A in April, and Hunter Renfroe released earlier this week.

The left-handed hitting Caglianone figures to split time between right field, first base, and probably DH on occasion.  Drew Waters and Kyle Isbel will continue to platoon in center field, while Mark Canha, Michael Massey, and Jonathan India will likely share left field duties, with Massey/India also playing at second base and Canha likely getting some time in right field spelling Caglianone against some southpaws.  Broadly speaking, manager Matt Quatraro could be creative with his lineup given how Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia are the only regulars with above-average production, and even Witt’s 121 wRC+ is a sizeable step back from his MVP runner-up season in 2024.

It makes for a pressurized situation for Caglianone in his first taste of MLB action, as K.C. fans have, if anything, felt Caglianone was overdue for a promotion.  Royals GM J.J. Picollo spoke of the situation to Passan earlier this week, saying “The hardest part about this for us is we’re trying to do what’s best for the player.  That’s ultimately what this is.  You want the player to be as prepared as he can when he comes in the major leagues.  It’s not fair to any player, whether it’s Jac Caglianone or whoever, when a team may be scuffling offensively, to try to put it on him and hope he’s going to come save the day.”

Caglianone’s minor league numbers indicate that he is ready for a step up in competition.  MLB Pipeline ranked him as the 22nd-best prospect in baseball prior to the season, ESPN had him 29th, and The Athletic’s Keith Law (60th) and Baseball America (63rd) also had the slugger deeper in their rankings.  The pundits agree that Caglianone is a gifted hitter with huge power and exit-velocity numbers, but the only question is whether or not there’s too much swing-and-miss in his game to handle big league pitching.  Caglianone has done well in posting respectable strikeout rates in the minors this year though his chase rate is still ungainly.

Due to his inclusion in the top-100 lists, Caglianone qualifies as a Prospect Promotion Incentive player.  This means that if he finishes in the top two in AL Rookie of the Year voting, he’d earn a full year of service time despite not being called up until June.  The timing of Caglianone’s call-up means that if he stays in the majors for the remainder of 2025, he’d be on pace to earn Super Two status and an extra year of arbitration eligibility down the road.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea — Imagn Images

When Will The Royals Promote Jac Caglianone?

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The Royals’ offensive struggles aren’t exactly a secret. Kansas City is contending in the American League not because of its lineup but in spite of its lineup. Arguably no contender in MLB has been as anemic at the plate as the Royals, who sport a .246/.301/.361 batting line as a team. The resulting 83 wRC+ (indicating they’ve been 17% worse than average at the plate as a unit, even after weighting for their pitcher-friendly home park) is tied for the fourth-worst in baseball, leading only the Rockies, Pirates and Rangers.

The Royals have hit 33 home runs as a team. Shohei Ohtani has 20 by himself. Cal Raleigh is at 19. There are multiple contending clubs whose top two sluggers alone boast a home run total that’s comparable to the Royals’ teamwide output; Aaron Judge and Trent Grisham have combined for 32 dingers, while Arizona’s Corbin Carroll and Eugenio Suarez are at 31 round-trippers between them. Kansas City’s 33 home runs are seven fewer than the 29th-ranked Pirates’ collective 40 home runs. Every other team in MLB has at least 46 long balls. The Yankees lead MLB with 88.

All of this is taking place at a time when Kansas City is housing perhaps the top slugger in all of minor league baseball in Triple-A. Last year’s No. 6 overall pick, Jac Caglianone, has embarrassed minor league pitching in his first full, pro season. The former Florida Gator decimated Double-A opposition with a .322/.394/.553 batting line and nine homers in 38 games before being promoted to Triple-A. Since joining the Royals’ Omaha affiliate, he’s homered five times in eight games while slashing .343/.351/.800. Overall, Caglianone boasts an almost comical .326/.387/.599 line with 14 home runs, nine doubles, a 9.4% walk rate and a 20.8% strikeout rate in 212 minor league plate appearances.

There are some developmental aspects to consider. Caglianone was a first baseman (and pitcher) in college. He’s dropped the mound work and is focusing solely on the position-player side of his career. Vinnie Pasquantino has him blocked at first base in K.C., so the Royals have been having Caglianone learn the outfield on the fly on a part-time basis. He’s still relatively new to that challenge. Much has been made of Caglianone’s penchant for chasing off the plate, too. He’s made strides in that regard in 2025, but the Royals likely want to avoid a situation where he’s promoted to the majors and expected to be a savior, only to see his approach exploited by top-level pitching that results in the first real adversity of his fledgling professional career.

It’s all understandable, but the Royals’ outfield, in particular, has been the weakest in the majors. Kansas City outfielders have combined to hit just seven home runs this season while slashing an MLB-worst .235/.283/.329 (68 wRC+). They recently made some changes, moving on from Hunter Renfroe in favor of 27-year-old rookie John Rave, but the lack of outfield production only shines a brighter spotlight on what Caglianone is doing in the minors.

[Related: The Royals’ Outfield Drought]

This is playing out at a time when two of the top three arms on their vaunted pitching staff — Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo — are on the injured list. Prospect Noah Cameron has stepped up and dominated in four starts to help offset the loss of those top starters, but losses on the pitching side of the roster are only going to magnify the issues on the other side of the game.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Anne Rogers of MLB.com have both shined some light on a potential timetable for Caglianone’s MLB debut, though it seems clear the plan remains somewhat fluid. Passan reports that the Royals’ Omaha affiliate is just beginning a homestand, but Caglianone could be in line for a big league audition not long after its completion (June 8). Rogers stated in her recent video mailbag with fans that the organization is looking for “sustained success over the next few weeks” before considering a promotion. That generally aligns with Passan’s framing. Rogers adds that the Royals have been reluctant to rush Caglianone but the timeline has “shifted recently” as the major league lineup’s struggles continue.

“The hardest part about this for us is we’re trying to do what’s best for the player,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo acknowledged to Passan before emphasizing the need to make sure Caglianone is as prepared as possible for big league pitching. “…It’s not fair to any player, whether it’s Jac Caglianone or whoever, when a team may be scuffling offensively to try to put it on him and hope he’s going to come save the day.”

Passan points out that for all Caglianone’s dominance, his two-strike approach is still sub-par. He’s chased just under half the pitches off the plate he’s seen in those settings (49.2%), which the Royals presumably fear is a trait that can be picked apart by the best pitchers in the world. Picollo spoke at length with Passan — readers will want to check out the column for full quotes and context — about wanting to see Caglianone face Triple-A pitchers not just multiple times in a game but to square off against them in multiple games. In essence, they want to see how pitchers adjust to Caglianone both within the confines of one individual game and with days or weeks between matchups. Conversely, they want to see how Caglianone reacts to such adjustments. That sort of challenge isn’t possible when he’s only eight Triple-A games under his belt. (Picollo also discussed these challenges with the Kansas City Star’s Sam McDowell earlier in the month, for readers who are intently tracking Caglianone’s development but may have missed that interview.)

It’s a delicate balance to strike, and the Royals’ recent play is forcing the issue. Kansas City won 16 of 18 games from April 20 through May 9. The near inverse has happened in 17 games since, when they’ve played at a 6-11 clip. That slide has coincided with improved play from the division-rival Twins, who’ve leapfrogged the Royals in the standings, and continued strong play from their rivals in Detroit and Cleveland. Kansas City has fallen to seven games back of the Tigers, and they’re now a game back of the Astros, Twins and Guardians, who each hold an American League Wild Card spots with identical 30-25 records.

For those wondering, there don’t seem to be any brazen service time shenanigans at play. The Royals showed as recently as 2022 that they were willing to overlook such things when they broke camp with a then-21-year-old Bobby Witt Jr. as their shortstop. Caglianone has already been down about seven weeks longer than would’ve been necessary to make sure he doesn’t accrue 172 days of MLB service time (i.e. one full year) by traditional means.

Caglianone could still get a year of service based on Rookie of the Year voting, but unless the plan is to hold him down until mid-July, that’s going to be a possibility whenever he gets the call. The top two finishers receive a full year of service, regardless of promotion date, if they were a consensus top prospect in the sport (as Caglianone is). Jacob Wilson has a big head start for the AL favorite, but the rest of the field is pretty well within reach if Caglianone debuts and performs up to his potential.

The Royals run some risk of Caglianone securing four years of arbitration eligibility as a Super Two player, but that hasn’t been a concern for them in the past. Each of Brady Singer, Kris Bubic, MJ Melendez, Daniel Lynch IV and Nicky Lopez have been Super Two players for the Royals over the past few years. Maikel Garcia is a slam-dunk Super Two this coming offseason. The timing of Cameron’s recent promotion would put him in line to add to the list, if he sticks in the majors. Super Two status simply hasn’t been a deterrent for the Royals in the past, and it’d be a surprise to see them allow their offense to languish in a win-now season to save money on Caglianone but not extend their window of control over him.

It’s a frustrating waiting game for Royals fans at a time when the team has scored 38 runs over its past 14 games (2.7 runs per game). Any waiting period seems like it’s on the cusp of completion, however, so long as Caglianone remains healthy and doesn’t fall into a strikeout-laden slump as a result of egregious chasing off the plate.

Royals Notes: Outfield, Caglianone, Harvey

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The Royals enter the weekend with the American League’s fourth-best record (23-16) and in possession of the league’s second Wild Card spot. Their starting rotation, as highlighted by MLBTR’s Anthony Franco yesterday, looks exceptional. Their top four relievers, by workload, have ERAs of 2.65 or better.

Pitching was never going to be the question with this Kansas City roster, however — at least as long as they stayed mostly healthy. (So far, so good.) The lineup was a far more glaring question heading into the season. Kansas City traded from its rotation depth in an effort to bolster the lineup over the winter, sending Brady Singer to Cincinnati in return for Jonathan India. The move hasn’t panned out as hoped just yet. India’s .340 on-base percentage is strong, but he’s hitting .237 and slugging .313.

But while India hasn’t been as productive as hoped, he’s hardly the culprit in the Royals’ lackluster offense overall. Rather, that lies primarily in the outfield. Kansas City outfielders have been the second-worst offensive unit in the majors, by measure of wRC+ (72). Their collective .229/.286/.332 batting line is 28% worse than league-average when viewed through that lens.

Drew Waters has provided some offense, but MJ Melendez was optioned to Triple-A after an awful start recently. Center fielder Kyle Isbel is a strong defender but currently has a .253 on-base percentage; he’s walked once in 98 plate appearances. Hunter Renfroe’s already disappointing 2024 production has declined even further, making his signing all the more regrettable for the club.

The Royals’ outfield was woefully unproductive in 2024 as well. Early last May, in a piece for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers, I explored the team’s near decade-long drought when it comes to developing outfielders. In essence they haven’t drafted/developed or traded for/developed an above-average outfielder since the days of Alex Gordon and Lorenzo Cain. Suffice it to say, a lack of outfield production isn’t new. Since 2019, no team’s outfield has produced a lower wRC+ than Kansas City’s 83 — and that’s including 916 plate appearances of better-than-average production from Andrew Benintendi, who was acquired as an already-established big leaguer. The Royals’ homegrown outfielders have struggled even more.

The hope within the organization is that top prospect Jac Caglianone, last year’s No. 6  overall pick, can end that drought. Caglianone starred as a first baseman at the University of Florida, but with Vinnie Pasquantino set at first base, the Royals have given the former Gator a few looks in right field. He’s made five starts there, all of which have come in the past 15 days.

Caglianone is just 22 and has yet to even play in Triple-A, but his bat has been so prodigious that there are increasing calls to bring him to the majors as soon as possible. One glance at his .328/.404/.586 slash line and eight homers in 136 plate appearances in Double-A makes it easy to understand the reason for that clamor.

Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star took a look this week at Caglianone’s possible timeline to the majors and spoke to Kansas City GM J.J. Picollo about the possibility of a promotion. Picollo spoke in general terms but was, of course, complimentary of Caglianone and optimistic about his outlook.

“We like what he’s doing. We’re happy with what he’s doing,” said the GM. “We’re trying to allow him to develop properly as a hitter, and when this offense settles in, that might be a proper time for him to come up.”

McDowell points out that Caglianone has still only faced faced a repeat opponent once this year. His second meeting with said team brought a very different approach from their pitchers. He was attacked differently and had some uncomfortable swings. Caglianone’s contact rate on pitches within the strike zone, his overall swinging-strike rate (currently a lofty 14.5%) and his chase rate on balls off the plate are all elements the team is considering.

“…[W]hen you get a strike thrown to you in the major leagues and you don’t do something with it, that’s a missed opportunity,” Picollo added. “You might get that second opportunity in the minor leagues, but you’re not going to in the major leagues.”

While the Royals wait for Caglianone to check the necessary boxes, they’ve at least contemplated alternatives. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Royals considered placing a claim for outfielder Leody Taveras when the Rangers placed him on outright waivers but held off due to the financial commitment it would have required. Taveras is earning $4.75MM in 2025 and had about $3.73MM yet to be paid out at the time he was claimed by the Mariners.

On the one hand, it’s understandable if Royals brass took a look at the .231/.285/.350 line produced by Taveras and decided he wasn’t productive enough to merit a claim. On the other, even that sub-par production would still be an improvement over what the Royals have trotted out dating back to last year (and, really, dating back to 2019).

More concerning is the mention that Taveras’ salary might’ve been too steep and cut too heavily into any potential payroll flexibility they’ll have leading into the 2025 trade deadline. Kansas City’s Opening Day payroll of $126MM is the team’s largest since 2017 and the third-largest in franchise history. Under owner John Sherman, who purchased the club from the late David Glass in Nov. 2019, the Royals have averaged a $103MM payroll during 162-game seasons (i.e. excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign).

This year’s spending is already way up relative to Sherman’s prior comfort levels. Balking at a readily available upgrade due to a relatively modest salary would seem to suggest there might not be a ton of cash left in the team’s reserves.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be any upgrades available, of course. The Royals presumably have at least a few million in wiggle room, and there will be affordably priced outfielders, relievers and others on the market. They could also pay a slightly higher price in terms of prospects to persuade trade partners to pay down the salary of any veterans sent to Kansas City. Sherman could be heartened by a strong run through mid-July and simply approve a larger budget to further strengthen his club’s World Series hopes. However it plays out, the Royals seem likely to be eyeing outfield upgrades from within (Caglianone) and from outside the organization as well in the months ahead.

The bullpen could conceivably be an area of focus on the summer trade market as well, though right now it looks like a strength. Kansas City has been without setup man Hunter Harvey for more than a month now, however, due to a strained teres major muscle. Recent updates on him from manager Matt Quatraro weren’t overly encouraging. Via Anne Rogers of MLB.com, Harvey threw live batting practice earlier this week but felt some continued discomfort the following day. Quatraro said they’ll accordingly slow down his throwing progression a bit. While the manager cautioned that it’s “nothing alarming,” that also doesn’t bode well for a return in the short term.

Harvey was terrific to start the season, rattling off 5 1/3 scoreless innings with one hit, no walks and seven strikeouts. He looked far more like he did in the first half of 2024 with the Nationals, before back troubles torpedoed his season shortly following a trade to the Royals. Harvey’s velocity was down noticeably even during that terrific start (97.8 mph average four-seamer in 2024; 95.3 mph average in 2025).

The quartet of Carlos Estevez, Lucas Erceg, Daniel Lynch IV and John Schreiber has produced brilliant results thus far, lessening the urgency to get Harvey back into the fold. Erceg, Scheriber and Evan Sisk are the only healthy Royals relievers with above-average strikeout rates, though, and Sisk has pitched just 2 1/3 innings. Harvey adds an element of power and swing-and-miss that the majority of Quatraro’s bullpen currently lacks, making his efforts to return worth keeping a watchful eye on for Royals fans.

Royals Notes: Caglianone, Ragans, Marsh

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Royals top prospect Jac Caglianone is playing right field for Double-A Northwest Arkansas tonight. It’s the first career outfield work for the lefty power hitter, who had played exclusively first base since being drafted with the #6 overall pick last summer. Caglianone had been a two-way star at the University of Florida, but his only defensive work for the Gators also came at first.

It’s an interesting development considering the Royals have (yet again) gotten very little production from their outfield. Kansas City outfielders were hitting .191/.252/.280 going into play on Thursday. They’re second from the bottom in MLB in all three slash stats — ahead of the White Sox in batting average and slugging, while leading the Braves in on-base percentage. They’re tied for the major league low with four home runs.

That’s not a new problem. MLBTR’s Steve Adams wrote about the Royals’ longstanding outfield woes in a post for Front Office subscribers last May. In the nearly full calendar year since then, their outfield has hit .225/.282/.364 in more than 1700 plate appearances. GM JJ Picollo acknowledged in February the front office was disappointed they were unable to land a significant upgrade during the offseason.

The Royals ran an Opening Day outfield of MJ Melendez, Kyle Isbel and Hunter Renfroe for the second straight season. They shook things up by optioning Melendez last week. Drew Waters has drawn into the lineup instead. He’s playing well in a tiny sample, but he’s a career .233/.307/.400 hitter who has fanned in a third of his big league plate appearances. Renfroe has followed last year’s .229/.297/.392 showing with a dismal .164/.258/.200 slash through 62 trips to the dish.

Caglianone topped 30 home runs in each of his final two seasons at Florida. He struggled over 29 High-A games after the draft, but he’s out to a much stronger start this season. He owns a .300/.374/.529 line with four homers and doubles apiece at Double-A. If he’s not quite on the radar for a major league call yet, a midseason promotion isn’t far-fetched. College hitters selected in the upper half of the first round often reach the big leagues during their first full professional season. Two such players, Cam Smith and Nick Kurtz, are already in the majors.

The path would be a lot cleaner if Caglianone can play a passable right field. Vinnie Pasquantino is the everyday first baseman. While they don’t have a set DH, Salvador Perez sees a good amount of time there to keep him in the lineup when he’s not catching. Caglianone could run his fastball into the upper 90s as a pitcher, so he certainly has the arm strength. The far bigger question is whether he’s mobile enough to play anywhere other than first. He’s listed at 6’5″, 250 pounds and unsurprisingly grades as a below-average runner on scouting reports. It appears the Royals will at least gauge his outfield ability in the minors.

In more immediate news, the team is awaiting word on Cole Ragans. The star left-hander came out of this afternoon’s start after three innings, during which he allowed four runs to Colorado. Anne Rogers of MLB.com writes that Ragans was hampered by left groin tightness and will go for further testing tomorrow.

The Royals have used a rotation comprising Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic and Michael Lorenzen all year. Kyle Wright and Alec Marsh could have pushed Lorenzen for the fifth starter spot, but they each opened the season on the injured list. Marsh has battled shoulder soreness dating back to the offseason. He was shut back down a few weeks ago after suffering renewed discomfort, but skipper Matt Quatraro told reporters that he’ll restart a throwing program tomorrow (link via The Associated Press).

AL Central Notes: Warren, White Sox, Manfred, Caglianone

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The Tigers had interest in right-hander Will Warren during their trade talks with the Yankees this past summer, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports.  The two clubs reportedly had a provisional agreement involving Jack Flaherty relatively close to being completed before New York backed out due to concerns over Flaherty’s medical records, though it should be noted that Heyman didn’t directly say that Warren was part of whatever trade package the Yankees were prepared to send to Detroit.  Flaherty instead was dealt to the Dodgers for two position players, one of whom (Trey Sweeney) ended up playing an important role in the Tigers’ surprising late-season surge to a wild card berth.

Ironically, Warren ended up making his MLB debut on the trade deadline day of July 30, and he posted a 10.32 ERA over his first 22 2/3 innings in the big leagues.  He also had a 5.91 ERA over 109 2/3 innings at Triple-A, though his minor league numbers were a little skewed by a nightmarish four-start stretch in May.  Scouts and evaluators generally view Warren as a back-end starter or perhaps a long reliever at the MLB level, and while the Yankees naturally want to keep pitching depth on hand, Warren could be a relatively expendable prospect in terms of future trade possibilities (with Detroit or any other teams).

More from around the AL Central…

  • Jerry Reinsdorf’s apparent willingness to discuss selling the White Sox has led to increased speculation that the team could be moved to a new city, though MLB commissioner Rob Manfred downplayed that idea in a recent appearance on FS1’s “Breakfast Ball” show.  (Hat tip to Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times.)  “Chicago is an anchor city for us.  I think that the White Sox are in a difficult situation. I think the location of the stadium is tough, but I have confidence that things are going to work out in Chicago and that we’re going to continue to have two teams in Chicago,” Manfred said.  This allusion to Reinsdorf’s desire to get a new ballpark built is another factor in the situation, and Van Schouwen hears that Reinsdorf “has grown increasingly skeptical” about the chances of civic and state officials signing off on a deal to built a new stadium for the White Sox within Chicago’s South Loop area.  Of course, some gamesmanship could be at play here, Reinsdorf’s past threats to move the Sox to St. Petersburg in the late 1980’s helped get Guaranteed Rate Field built in the first place.
  • Jac Caglianone’s power bat as a first baseman at the University of Florida helped make him the sixth overall pick of the 2024 draft, but the Royals prospect hasn’t given up on the idea of being a two-way player.  “I’m the type of person where I get super driven and I get fixated on things,” Caglianone told The Athletic’s Noah Furtado.  “So if I have the opportunity to do it, I’m going to jump on it.  I won’t really accept failure.  I’ll keep pushing at it until it clicks.”  A Tommy John surgery in 2021 got Caglianone more focused on hitting and perhaps directed him towards Florida instead of entering the 2021 draft as a high schooler, and while Caglianone still showed premium velocity as a college pitcher, control is the big concern.  The Royals have thus far used him only as a first baseman and DH during his brief pro career (in high-A ball and in the Arizona Fall League), but the club hasn’t entirely closed the door on Caglianone as a pitcher.  As K.C. director of player development Mitch Maier put it, Caglianone’s potential is “a rare opportunity that has to be thought through.”

Royals Sign First-Round Pick Jac Caglianone

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The Royals announced the signing of sixth overall pick Jac Caglianone. Caglianone receives a $7.5MM bonus, reports Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline (X link). The selection comes with a slot value of roughly $7.21MM.

Caglianone is a two-way player from the University of Florida. His higher upside professionally is as a position player. Caglianone topped 30 home runs in each of his final two seasons in Gainesville. He hit 35 longballs — second among Division I hitters behind #3 pick Charlie Condon’s 37 — with a .419/.544/.875 slash line as a junior. Caglianone walked at an 18.4% clip while striking out only 8.2% of the time. He has top-of-the-scale raw power that gives him the chance to hit in the middle of a lineup.

Nevertheless, pre-draft scouting reports raised some questions about his pure hitting ability. Baseball America and The Athletic’s Keith Law each pointed to concerns about Caglianone’s chase rate as well as a tendency to get pull-oriented in his swing. Caglianone is likely limited to first base defensively, so he’ll need to hit a lot to provide value.

He’s not as highly regarded as a pitching prospect. While he can run his fastball into the upper 90s, his subpar control points to a bullpen future. It seems likely the Royals will prioritize his offensive development in the hope that he moves quickly and establishes himself as a 30+ home run hitter.

2024 MLB Draft, First Round Results

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This year’s amateur draft is officially underway, and we’ll be updating this post throughout the night with every first-round selection.  More details and scouting reports on all these young players are available in pre-draft rankings from Baseball America, Fangraphs, MLB Pipeline, The Athletic’s Keith Law, and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel.  As well, Pipeline has the breakdown of the slot values assigned to each pick in the first 10 rounds, as well as the bonus pool money available to all 30 teams.

The first-round picks…

  1. Cleveland Guardians: Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State
  2. Cincinnati Reds: Chase Burns, RHP, Wake Forest
  3. Colorado Rockies: Charlie Condon, OF/3B, Georgia
  4. Oakland Athletics: Nick Kurtz, 1B, Wake Forest
  5. Chicago White Sox: Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas
  6. Kansas City Royals: Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP, Florida
  7. St. Louis Cardinals: JJ Wetherholt, 2B/SS, West Virginia
  8. Los Angeles Angels: Christian Moore, 2B, Tennessee
  9. Pittsburgh Pirates: Konnor Griffin, SS/OF, Jackson Prep High School (MS)
  10. Washington Nationals: Seaver King, SS/3B/OF, Wake Forest
  11. Detroit Tigers: Bryce Rainer, SS, Harvard-Westlake High School (CA)
  12. Boston Red Sox: Braden Montgomery, OF, Texas A&M
  13. San Francisco Giants: James Tibbs III, OF, Florida State
  14. Chicago Cubs: Cam Smith, 3B, Florida State
  15. Seattle Mariners: Jurrangelo Cijntje, LHP/RHP, Mississippi State
  16. Miami Marlins: PJ Morlando, OF, Summerville High School (SC)
  17. Milwaukee Brewers: Braylon Payne, OF, Elkins High School (TX)
  18. Tampa Bay Rays: Theo Gillen, OF/MI, Westlake High School (TX)
  19. New York Mets: Carson Benge, OF, Oklahoma State
  20. Toronto Blue Jays: Trey Yesavage, RHP, East Carolina
  21. Minnesota Twins: Kaelen Culpepper, SS, Kansas State
  22. Baltimore Orioles: Vance Honeycutt, OF, North Carolina
  23. Los Angeles Dodgers: Kellon Lindsey, SS, Hardee High School (FL)
  24. Atlanta Braves: Cam Caminiti, LHP, Saguero High School (AZ)
  25. San Diego Padres: Kash Mayfield, LHP, Elk City High School (OK)
  26. New York Yankees: Ben Hess, RHP, Alabama
  27. Philadelphia Phillies: Dante Nori, OF, Northville High School (MI)
  28. Houston Astros: Walker Janek, C, Sam Houston
  29. Arizona Diamondbacks: Slade Caldwell, OF, Valley View High School (AR)
  30. Texas Rangers: Malcolm Moore, C, Stanford

All 30 teams will have picks in the first round this year, though the Mets, Padres, and Yankees all had their first-round selections dropped back by 10 slots.  These three teams surpassed the third luxury tax tier ($273MM) in 2023, and thus their punishment included a 10-space drop in their opening draft choice.

The 2024 draft will take place over three days, consisting of 20 rounds of selections.  Rounds 3-10 will take place on Monday, rounds 11-20 will take place on Tuesday, and the draft’s first 74 picks will come off the board tonight.  Those 74 picks consist of the first two proper rounds, the two Competitive Balance Rounds, two sets of compensatory rounds (giving picks to teams who lost qualifying offer-rejecting free agents), and two Prospect Promotion Incentive picks.

The two PPI selections will go to the Diamondbacks at 31st overall and the Orioles at 32nd overall, awarded since Corbin Carroll and Gunnar Henderson fit all of the criteria for their teams to receive the bonus picks.  Carroll and Henderson won Rookie of the Year honors, both young stars were included on their respective teams’ Opening Day rosters, and were rated as top-100 prospects in at least two of three sets of preseason prospect rankings from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and ESPN.

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