Kansas City Royals star rookie Jac Caglianone is known for his ability to spray balls all over the baseball field. So when he went 0 for 5 in his major-league debut, nobody panicked; he was just feeling out his first taste of the majors.
Well, it didn’t take long for Caglianone to adjust, because he picked up his first major-league hit Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals. Caglianone struck in the top of the fourth inning. With Royals catcher Salvador Pérez on second, Caglianone smacked an RBI single down the first-base line to extend the Royals’ lead.
The ball came off Caglianone’s bat at 91.4 mph, a strong figure, but nowhere near the eye-popping exit velocities Caglianone put up in the minors.
Caglianone’s family, including his father, cheered and clapped in the stands following the hit. Caglianone’s father clearly played a big role in the Royals outfielder’s development. Shortly after Caglianone found out he was going to the majors, he quipped, “I have to call my dad.”
The Cardinals made sure the ball found its way to the Royals’ dugout so the rookie could keep it for the rest of his career.
Big things are expected from Caglianone, 22, after he dominated in the minors. Despite being drafted in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft, Caglianone forced his way through the team’s system quickly. The Royals promoted him aggressively, starting him in Double-A to begin the 2025 season. He hit .322/.394/.553 with nine home runs at the level before earning a promotion to Triple-A.
He was even better there, where he hit .319/.370/.723, with six homers, in just 12 games. That was all the Royals needed to see before bringing him up to the majors.
Caglianone immediately found himself in the thick of the Royals’ major-league lineup, hitting sixth in his major-league debut. Though he went 0 for 5 in his first game, Caglianone showed off his impressive pop. Four of his batted balls were hit over 95 mph. He had a 113.9 mph groundout in the ninth inning and a 112.1 mph groundout in the fifth inning. While both balls resulted in outs, they were the two hardest-hit balls by any player in the contest.
If you hit balls that hard, they are eventually going to find holes. That’s exactly what happened Thursday on Caglianone’s first major-league hit. And while there are likely plenty more of those to come in the future, the Royals probably can’t wait to see what happens when Caglianone starts hitting balls in the air.
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