'Prepared for the moment': Caglianone's comfort in debut a sign of things to come

ST. LOUIS -- On July 14, 2024, the Royals were a little surprised to see Jac Caglianone’s name on the board when they were on the clock for the No. 6 pick of the MLB Draft.

Debate had filled the Draft room for weeks about the Florida two-way star -- about his tools, about how other teams ahead of them would be thinking and about how Caglianone might fit in Kansas City. There were questions, of course. There was also a lot of excitement about Caglianone and what he could do.

Specifically, all that potential power in his strong left-handed swing.

“The talent was too good to pass up,” scouting director Brian Bridges said that night.

Less than one year later, the talent was too good to keep down.

Caglianone, Kansas City’s top prospect and MLB’s No. 10 prospect, made his Major League debut on Tuesday night in the Royals’ 10-7 win over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. He went 0-for-5, which included four hard outs, during the Royals’ onslaught of offense as they came back from a five-run deficit after three innings with a six-run fifth inning.

It was perhaps a rude awakening when Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II robbed Caglianone of a hit on a 98.4 mph liner into the right-center-field gap and third baseman Nolan Arenado ranged from the shift to nab a 112.1 mph groundout. Caglianone’s fifth at-bat was a 113.9 mph groundout.

“Going up for my first at-bat, I felt really comfortable,” Caglianone said. “[Andre Pallante] threw some good pitches. No cigar. Victor Scott’s pretty good out there. But I felt really good.”

If Caglianone keeps hitting the ball like that, with the approach and confidence he showed, he’ll quickly prove why now was the time for the Royals to bring him up.

Royals officials wrestled with the question for weeks. The organization has historically erred on the side of caution when deciding when to promote top prospects, but this front office led by general manager J.J. Picollo has also been extremely convicted when making decisions surrounding the roster, whether that’s adding or subtracting from it. The Caglianone situation offered plenty of wrinkles.

It’s only been 324 days since the 22-year-old was drafted. He had only recorded 455 professional plate appearances before his callup. The Royals offense has yet to click like it did Tuesday, and they don’t want to call up a top prospect expecting him to be a savior.

Plus, Caglianone is as important to this organization’s future as anyone. The Royals didn’t want to rush his development, especially with all that he’s had to work on in the Minors both offensively and defensively.

But watching him make adjustments in Triple-A for two weeks -- just 12 games -- allowed the Royals to realize that maybe Caglianone is ready.

With a .319/.370/.723 slash line in Triple-A alone, along with improved underlying metrics that the Royals have been evaluating all season, eventually Caglianone simply forced the team’s hand.

“Sometimes you just got to roll with it,” Picollo said. “This is what we got. He gives us the best chance to win. And on top of that, we feel like he’s prepared for the moment.”

Picollo sent two of his top and longest-tenured evaluators, senior vice president Rene Francisco and senior advisor Mike Arbuckle, to Omaha last week to watch Caglianone. By the weekend, Picollo was feeling more assured in Caglianone’s pending call-up.

Caglianone’s personality had a lot to do with this, too. Not much rattles him. At every level, he’s seemed calm and collected, even during rough games. He was a star at Florida and fit right into the big league clubhouse in his first Spring Training. He beat Double-A in a month and said he felt ready for the Majors after his first week of Triple-A.

On Tuesday, Caglianone talked about the excitement and surreal feeling surrounding his debut. If there were nerves, he didn’t show any. He acknowledged that it’s a different environment here. The expectations are to win.

But he shrugged when he was asked about pressure.

“Kind of drown it out,” Caglianone said. “… That stress is unnecessary. Unwarranted, for me. I don’t play too much into that.”

That sounds a bit like superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.. Three years ago, on the day he debuted, Witt said he felt most comfortable in the batter’s box with the game on the line.

Witt sees the similarities, too. He talked highly about Caglianone’s presence in the box -- like a big leaguer, Witt said Tuesday night.

“He treats pressure like a privilege,” Witt said. “It’s one of those things: This is where he’s supposed to be. He’s supposed to be here today. And then he’s going to make the most of it. … And he’s just being himself. He’s not changing anything. And that’s what he has to do to be able to help us.”

Now is as good of a time as any.