KANSAS CITY -- Jac Caglianone is headed to Triple-A Omaha.
The Royals promoted their top prospect -- and MLB’s No. 10 prospect, per MLB Pipeline -- from Double-A to Triple-A on Sunday night, and Caglianone will begin his stint with the Storm Chasers on Tuesday night when they go on the road to play Salt Lake (Angels).
Kansas City also promoted Frank Mozzicato, its No. 12 prospect, to Double-A after the lefty posted a 1.24 ERA in seven starts with High-A Quad Cities.
Sunday’s move was one step closer to the Majors for Caglianone, whom the Royals selected No. 6 overall in last summer’s MLB Draft out of Florida. Since then, he’s established himself as a top hitting prospect in baseball -- and someone who could arrive in Kansas City as soon as this summer.
“He was performing extremely well,” general manager J.J. Picollo said. “He wasn't being challenged as much as we'd like him to be challenged as a hitter -- not necessarily pitchers not coming after him, but he really wasn't going through much adversity there. And I think he really just beat the league.
“We saw some improvement in some of the decisions he was making at the plate. But even with that, just the idea of him facing pitchers who can repeat pitches, who can do more with command, will help his development. And that's what Triple-A really represents for us.”
The 22-year-old mashed in 38 games in Double-A, where he began his first full professional season, slashing .322/.394/.553, with eight doubles, nine homers and 43 RBIs. He struck out 37 times in 175 plate appearances and walked 19 times.
Caglianone was dominating Double-A pitching, and it was only a matter of time before the Royals moved him up a level. And they’re eager to see him make the adjustment to better pitching at Triple-A, with more crafty veterans there.
“He's always going to hit the ball hard,” Picollo said. “It’s just how consistently is he going to hit it hard? And is he going to get away with hitting some pitches that are out of the zone and still hitting him as hard as he has been? That’s why he's got to take this next step. But he's certainly prepared for it. He's excited about it. Ultimately he wants to be in the big leagues. That time will come, but this is the right next step for him.”
He logged six games in right field, as well as one in left field. That first base-outfield rotation will likely continue in Triple-A.
While Caglianone has been focusing on first base since the spring, the Royals had him start to get reps in right field at the end of April, increasing his versatility as they began to think about what his fit would be on their big league roster.
He logged six games in right field, as well as one in left field. With outfielder Joey Wiemer and utilityman Harold Castro both on the injured list in Triple-A, there will be opportunities for Caglianone to get reps in the outfield in Triple-A. He’ll still play a lot of first base, too, and could see days at DH.
Still, the Royals won’t rush their top prospect, no matter how much everyone would like to see him demolish balls into the fountains at Kauffman Stadium. They gave Caglianone a month-plus to settle into Double-A, preaching patience for a slugger less than a year into his pro career, and would like to see him settle into Triple-A now. His potential call-up will be based on his performance and what the Royals need on their big league roster.
“It's a career, and you want the guy to have success when he comes up,” Picollo said. “And we know that reps, historically speaking, are what guys need. The big leagues are a whole different animal.”
But Caglianone is now closer than ever.