Jac Caglianone

Not to be confused with Joe Castiglione or Joe Castiglione (athletic director).

Jac Caglianone
Caglianone with the Omaha Storm Chasers in 2025
Kansas City Royals – No. 14
Right fielder / First baseman
Born: (2003-02-09) February 9, 2003
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
MLB debut
June 3, 2025, for the Kansas City Royals
MLB statistics
(through 2025 season)
Batting average.157
Home runs7
Runs batted in18
Stats at Baseball Reference 
Teams

Jeffrey Alan "Jac" Caglianone (/ˈkæɡliːoʊn/ KAG-lee-ohn;[1] born February 9, 2003) is an American professional baseball right fielder and first baseman for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) who competes for Italy at the international level. Caglianone played college baseball for the Florida Gators as a first baseman and pitcher. He was selected by the Royals with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft and made his MLB debut in 2025.

Amateur career

High school career

Caglianone grew up in Tampa, Florida, and attended Henry B. Plant High School.[2] As a junior in 2020, he played in Perfect Game's All-American Classic in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and was named a Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-American and the MLB Network/SiriusXM Two-Way Player of the Year. As a senior, he batted .371 with three home runs and posted a 2.44 ERA with two saves and 65 strikeouts over 37+1⁄3 innings pitched.[3] Caglianone tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow while playing in a postseason All-Star game after his senior season, subsequently undergoing Tommy John surgery.[4]

In high school, Caglianone was a two-pitch pitcher who featured a mid-90s fastball projected to average 94 miles per hour (151 km/h) and measured at up to 97–98 miles per hour (156–158 km/h), as well as a slurve-like curveball, while his throws as a first baseman were projected to be 90 miles per hour (140 km/h).

College career

Caglianone initially planned on redshirting his freshman season at Florida while recovering from his elbow operation, but ultimately played as a designated hitter.[5] He batted .288 with seven home runs during his freshman season.[6] Caglianone returned to pitching during Florida's fall practices in 2022.[7] He entered his sophomore season as both a starting pitcher and as the Gators' starting first baseman.[8] Caglianone was named the NCBWA Player of the Month for February after collecting 15 hits in 35 at-bats with seven home runs and striking out 15 batters over 11+1⁄3 innings pitched.[9] He broke Florida's single-season home run record after hitting his 27th of the year and finished with 33.[10]

In his junior year in 2024, he hit home runs in nine straight games, including one against Jacksonville that traveled an estimated 516 feet (157 m).[11] This also tied the record for most home runs hit in consecutive games at the NCAA level.[12] Caglianone also surpassed Matt LaPorta for the most career home runs by a Florida player, with 75. As a result of his power at the plate, during the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, his opponents would often utilize a defensive shift during his plate appearances, with the third baseman positioned as a fourth outfielder.[13]

Professional career

Minor leagues

Caglianone was drafted by the Kansas City Royals with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft.[14] He signed with the Royals on July 23 and received a $7.21 million signing bonus.[15] Caglianone was assigned to the Quad Cities River Bandits of the High-A Midwest League to begin his professional career.[16]

For the 2025 season, Caglianone was promoted to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals of the Double-A Texas League. He still has yet to pitch at the professional level, instead opting to focus on his development as a position player.[17] On April 10, he recorded a single that at the time was the 12th-hardest-hit ball ever recorded during the Statcast era.[18] On April 25, he played in right field, his first outfield appearance in college or the minor leagues.[19]

On May 18, Caglianone was promoted to the Omaha Storm Chasers of the Triple-A International League, as the Royals organization felt he was ready to be challenged with a higher level of competition, especially as a hitter; in 38 games with Northwest Arkansas, he hit .322/.394/.553, with eight doubles, nine home runs, and 43 runs batted in, drawing 19 walks and striking out 37 times in 175 plate appearances.[20] In his initial stint with Omaha, he batted .319 with 6 home runs in 12 games, hitting home runs in four consecutive games.[21][19]

Major leagues

On June 2, 2025, Caglianone was promoted to the majors.[22] He made his debut on June 3 against the St. Louis Cardinals. He went 0-for-5 in his major league debut.[23] He got his first hit with a double that drove in a run in the top of the fourth inning on June 5 in the first game of a doubleheader, also against the Cardinals.[24] On June 8, Caglianone recorded his first multi-hit game and four-hit game against the Chicago White Sox, going 4-for-4 with 3 singles and a double in a Royals 7–5 victory. He became the seventh MLB rookie with a 4-hit game in 2025.[25] Caglianone hit his first major league home run on June 19, against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Another home run a few innings later resulted in his first multi-HR game.[26] He injured his left hamstring muscle in late July, sending him to the injured list. Before the injury, he was batting .148 with five home runs.[27]

International career

Caglianone played for the Italy national baseball team in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.[28]

Personal life

Caglianone is of Italian descent through his father and Puerto Rican descent through his mother.[29][30] In April 2025, he was named the official ambassador of the Italian American Baseball Foundation.[31]

References

  1. ^ Kassim, Ehsan (June 15, 2024). "What is Jac Caglianone's real name? The real full name for the Florida baseball two-way star". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  2. ^ Rodriguez, Hector (July 21, 2020). "Five UF commits who could play in the Perfect Game All-American Classic". Rivals.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Bortner, Sullivan (October 14, 2021). "Meet the Gators: Jac Caglianone". FloridaGators.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  4. ^ Rodriguez, Hector (August 8, 2021). "Florida Gators 2021 Baseball Recruiting Class". Rivals.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  5. ^ Weinrib, Ben (July 14, 2024). "'This dude really can do it all': How setbacks put Caglianone on path to stardom". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  6. ^ Rudner, Jacob (February 6, 2023). "Florida baseball position group preview: Designated hitter". 247Sports.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  7. ^ Hearn, Ashley (January 10, 2023). "Catching Up with Cags: Florida Baseball's Jac Caglianone". WRUF.com. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  8. ^ Anderson, R.J. (February 26, 2023). "Florida's Jac Caglianone homers three times, strikes out six as two-way player maintains hot start to season". CBS Sports. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  9. ^ Rudner, Jacob (March 3, 2023). "Caglianone named NCBWA National Player of the Month". 247Sports.com. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  10. ^ Thompson, Edgar (May 6, 2023). "UF sluggers Jac Caglianone, Skylar Wallace setting records". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  11. ^ Jacobson, Cole (April 16, 2024). "'Collegiate Ohtani' runs HR streak to 7 with MONSTER shot". MLB.com. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  12. ^ Cahill, Teddy (April 20, 2024). "Jac Caglianone Home Run Streak Ends At 9 Games, Ties NCAA Record". Baseball America. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  13. ^ Peery, Wade (June 15, 2024), Texas A&M employs insane shift for Jac Caglianone in CWS matchup, On3, retrieved March 14, 2024
  14. ^ Rogers, Anne (July 14, 2024). "Two-way Caglianone 'too good to pass up' for Royals at No. 6". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  15. ^ Franco, Anthony (July 23, 2024). "Royals Sign First-Round Pick Jac Caglianone". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  16. ^ Johnston, TJ (August 6, 2024). "MIDWEST LEAGUE: Caglianone rips double for first pro hit". Quad-City Times. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  17. ^ Connon, Sam (April 25, 2025). "Kansas City Royals Top Prospect Jac Caglianone Makes Major Move, Starts in Outfield". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
  18. ^ Van Doren, Kenny (April 11, 2025). "Royals prospect Jac Caglianone rips a single HOW hard?". MLB.com. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  19. ^ a b Thompson, Jaylon (June 2, 2025). "Who is Jac Caglianone? These 5 highlights best showcase Royals' talented phenom". Kansas City Star. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  20. ^ Rogers, Anne (May 19, 2025). "After 'beating' Double-A, Caglianone promoted to Triple-A by Royals". MLB.com. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  21. ^ "Jac Caglianone 2025 College, Minor & Fall Leagues Game Logs & Splits". Baseball Reference. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  22. ^ Rogers, Anne (June 2, 2025). "Royals call up slugging top prospect Jac Caglianone". MLB.com. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  23. ^ Rogers, Anne (June 4, 2025). "'Prepared for the moment': Caglianone's comfort in debut a sign of things to come". MLB.com. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  24. ^ Rogers, Anne (June 5, 2025). "Caglianone ropes RBI double for first big league hit". MLB.com. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  25. ^ Drottar, Casey (June 8, 2025). "Salvy (2-run HR), Caglianone (4 hits) power out of skids to spark Royals' win". MLB.com. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  26. ^ "Royals' Jac Caglianone connects for first major league home run". ESPN.com. Associated Press. June 19, 2025. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  27. ^ Rogers, Anne (July 27, 2025). "Caglianone (left hamstring strain) lands on 10-day IL". MLB.com. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  28. ^ Harrigan, Thomas (March 16, 2026). "Jac Caglianone 2026 breakout potential". MLB.com. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  29. ^ Vaccaro, Chris (September 12, 2023). "University of Florida's Jac Caglianone Named 2023 IABF Future Star Honoree". Italian American Baseball Foundation.
  30. ^ https://worldbaseball.com/italy-was-the-early-bird-when-recruiting-jac-caglianone-for-the-2026-world-baseball-classic/
  31. ^ Vaccaro, Chris (April 8, 2025). "Jac Caglianone Named Ambassador of the Italian American Baseball Foundation". Italian American Baseball Foundation.
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