Former Florida baseball standout Jac Caglianone is off to a blazing start to the second year of his professional career with the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals, a member of the Kansas City Royals’ minor league system.
Originally drafted by the Royals in 2024, Cags spent his first year of pro ball at High-A with the Quad Cities River Bandits, where he put up solid numbers despite being 1.3 years younger than the average player at that level. He more or less replicated those numbers in the 2024 Arizona Fall League with the Surprise Saguaros.
Now 2.1 years younger than the typical Double-A prospect, Caglianone is beginning to truly break out of his shell, proving the potency of his bat that made him a first-round pick. Baseball America recently took note of his superlative slugging and included the former Gator in its prospects wire news feed.
“Caglianone is known across the sport for his immense power. Think Paul Bunyan with the wind at his back. He proved it again on Tuesday by clubbing a pair of longballs in Northwest Arkansas’ series-opening win over Wichita. The blasts were his seventh and eighth of the season and drove home four of the Naturals’ five runs,” it offers.
“He’s one off the Texas League’s home run lead, which is unsurprising. Perhaps more encouraging is the .330 average he’s sporting, which ranks fifth on the circuit and speaks to an improved ability to make contact. For a guy of Caglianone’s strength, contact is the key to the castle.”
Jac Caglianone’s 2025 stats
Caglianone is batting .330 this spring with an on-base percentage of .406 and a slugging percentage of .606 — good for an impressive OPS of 1.012 in 128 plate appearances. Out of 36 total base hits, he has six doubles and eight home runs, along with 15 walks and 30 strikeouts.
The first baseman and designated hitter — plus, he is still listed as a pitcher — also has a stolen base and a caught stealing credit to him as well.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Former Florida slugger Jac Caglianone shows power in Baseball America’s prospect report
Reporting by Adam Dubbin, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
