It’s been a whirlwind first week in Major League Baseball for Kansas City Royals rookie Jac Caglianone.
Caglianone, 22, is learning on the fly. Information overload is a risk as he adjusts to playing a new position — right field — and facing majorleague pitching for the first time. He’s watching countless videos designed to speed up the learning curve.
It’s easy to find him before and after games. Caglianone is typically glued to his tablet, watching clips at his locker. But the Royals have provided him a soft landing in MLB.
Caglianone is receiving regular instruction from various coaches within the organization. And perhaps best of all, he has longtime Royals coach Rusty Kuntz by his side.
Kuntz has helped Caglianone learn to play right field. Kuntz actually joined the Royals on their just-completed sixgame road trip to St. Louis and Chicago.
With Kuntz’s welcoming presence comes much sage advice.
“You have more time than you think,” Caglianone said, sharing one of Kuntz’s staple sayings. “So don’t try to rush and don’t try to create something out of nothing.”
Caglianone is taking that advice to heart. But his first foray into the big leagues has come with some tough luck: He is hitting .240 (6-for-25) through six games after collecting his first MLB hit against the Cardinals on Thursday.
Caglianone should have better statistics. He was robbed of hits by St. Louis’ Victor Scott II and Nolan Arenado in his big-league debut. And White Sox star Luis Robert Jr. took away another potential hit Saturday.
Caglianone has yet to hit his first major-league home run, but he has come close a couple of times.
He is hitting the baseball hard with exit velocities upwards of 110 mph. And that is the frustrating part: Until Sunday, when he went 4-for-4, he’s had little to show for it.
“Yeah, it’s frustrating,” he said Sunday afternoon, after the Royals beat the White Sox 7-5 to close out their series in Chicago, and road trip. “But at the end of the day, I’m putting swings on good pitches. I’m doing all I can do. Once it leaves the bat, I can’t control it.”
The Royals aren’t concerned. They love Caglianone’s aggressiveness at the plate and believe that he will soon find consistent success in the batter’s box.
“I think he makes great contact on a regular basis, regardless of what level he is at,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “So it’s probably something that he has dealt with before.
“I’ve seen him handle it extremely well in here and he’s got great poise, which is part of the reason we felt comfortable bringing him up when we did.”
Entering Sunday’s game at Rate Field, Caglianone had a .292 expected batting average and 52.9% hard-hit rate, per Baseball Savant. He also had 17 batted balls and two barrels.
Those stats suggest good things await in the near future. He’s already learning that staying the course has its rewards.
His first four-hit game as a big-leaguer — his first multi-hit game in the majors — arrived Sunday afternoon against the White Sox. Caglianone joined Bo Jackson as the only players in franchise history to enjoy a four-hit day within his first six games. Jackson, who had four hits in his fifth game, did so on Sept. 11, 1986.
Caglianone is not looking over-matched at the plate, and that bodes well for the Royals.
“I can’t wait to see what that guy does in the big leagues,” team captain Salvador Perez said. “He’s one of the best and a big dude, too. I think he is going to do well.”
The Royals need him to produce. They have struggled with runners in scoring position (RISP) and rank near the bottom of multiple offensive categories. Caglianone was promoted from Triple-A Omaha last week in hopes that he can help address that very issue.
As he continues to settle in, the Royals could benefit from his raw power. They hope to give him more opportunities to drive in runs alongside Perez and fellow slugger Vinnie Pasquantino.
“I feel good,” Caglianone said. “I’m going up (to the plate) feeling confident and hitting balls hard. Not a lot to show for it, but I’m feeling good.”
Caglianone no doubt has his share of big moments in store. For now, he’s soaking in new lessons and making special memories.
“Bob (Bobby Witt Jr.) tries to give me a new rule every day,” he said.
One such guideline: Caglianone said he was told to “have two of everything.” He has quickly realized this is essential when one is in a pinch and on the road.
On the field, the teaching is more informal. As he learned from his brief interaction with Cardinals pitcher Arenado in St. Louis, things are a little different in the major leagues.
“He told me, ‘Congrats,’” Caglianone recalled, “and I was like, ‘Thanks for making it easy on me.’
“He had a couple of really nice plays and he just started laughing. He was like, ‘It’s not Northwest Arkansas anymore.’ And I was like, ‘It’s very true.’”
Jac Caglianone, the Kansas City Royals’ first-round draft pick, puts on his cap as he is introduced during a news conference prior to a game between Royals and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Kauffman Stadium on July 24, 2024. TNS photo
