Let¡¯s get this out of the way. Jac Caglianone will be playing only one way in the Arizona Fall League.

¡°We¡¯re just going to focus on hitting,¡± said the Royals¡¯ top prospect. ¡°Then hopefully next season when Spring Training rolls around, I can get back off the mound.¡±

It was an open question because we still have yet to see the 2024 sixth overall pick pitch in a professional setting in the still very early days of his career. Even so, Caglianone, the Royals' No. 1 prospect and MLB's No. 17, remains one of the most interesting prospects in this year¡¯s AFL, both because of his hitting skills and his involvement in the league in the first place.

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound, left-handed slugger has undeniably some of the best power in the current Fall League crop. His 33 homers as a Florida sophomore led Division I in 2023, and he upped himself with 35 blasts last spring, ranking second behind Charlie Condon (37). He achieved with one of the most baffling hitting profiles in his Draft class; he chased at 39 percent of pitches outside the zone (per Synergy Sports) but whiffed on only 21 percent of his swings. In other words, he swung a lot, made contact a lot and drove the ball hard a lot. Oh, he also touched 99 on the mound and showcased a slider, cutter and changeup -- the latter of which flashed plus.

Having signed with the Royals for $7.5 million, Caglianone joined High-A Quad Cities for his first taste of the Minors but managed just a .241/.302/.388 line over a shorter 29-game sample in the Midwest League. A grand slam for his first MiLB homer in his fourth game on Aug. 10 spotlighted what the left-handed slugger could be on the pro side, but the rest of the performance came down just as much to the head-spinning nature of a big college season, Draft year and pro debut, all encased in a few months span.

¡°It¡¯s a whirlwind, to be honest with you,¡± he said. ¡°One day, you¡¯re in Gainesville. The next, you¡¯re in Omaha. Then, you¡¯re sitting at home, hearing your name get called. Then I was out in the Arizona heat for a couple weeks and then went over to Iowa. I¡¯ve been all over the place this year.¡±

Royals officials have high hopes that the former Gator can join the list of Royals major homegrown contributors like Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino, and they¡¯ve expressed belief that getting Caglianone exposure to more of the pro-ball experience (and pro-quality arms) in the Fall League will only be helpful for his long-term development. They¡¯ve also kept the door open to him pitching, but for now, even that might be a bit too much for Caglianone¡¯s crowded 2024 plate.

¡°My first reaction [to the AFL] was excited,¡± he said. ¡°Usually you don¡¯t hear about people going in their first year because it¡¯s been a long year and you want to get ready for the first [full] pro season. But I¡¯m super thankful for the opportunity when they told me I was coming. I¡¯ve seen the pictures in the past and how cool it looks. This is going to be awesome.¡±

Royals hitters in the Fall League

Carter Jensen, C (No. 5): Following a solid but unspectacular 2023 season with High-A Quad Cities, the 2021 third-rounder returned to the Midwest League and took a solid step forward with a .271/.386/.435 line with 10 homers and 16 steals in 84 games. He finished out his age-20 season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas, where he continued to show increased pop (eight homers, .480 slugging percentage in 41 games), and he finished out the year with 18 homers and 17 steals, making him one of only three Minor League to go 16-16 (Blake Mitchell and Agustin Ramirez being the others).

Daniel Vazquez, SS (No. 23): An above-average runner with a rocket arm, Vazquez has earned praise from Royals officials and external evaluators for his ability to play the demanding shortstop position. He¡¯s added some versatility in the Fall League with his first three starts all coming at second base, and that could prove helpful if he ever reaches the big leagues alongside Witt. Vazquez still has much to prove with his bat before that talk can begin in earnest. He has played for Single-A Columbia for three straight years and just became close to a league-average player in 2024 with a .253/.353/.289 line and 99 wRC+ despite not homering in 325 plate appearances.

Brett Squires, 1B/OF: Kansas City signed Squires as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma in 2022, and he¡¯s proven to be a solid hitter ever since. The 24-year-old left-handed slugger was named a Midwest League end-of-season All-Star this season after hitting .309/.390/.481 with nine homers and 16 steals in only 62 games for Quad Cities. He ranked third among MWL hitters (min. 250 PA) with both his .481 slugging percentage and .871 OPS. Normally a first baseman, Squires has gotten looks in right field in the AFL, partly out of deference to Caglianone.

Royals pitchers in the Fall League

Luinder Avila, RHP (No. 26): Avila went unprotected and unpicked in the last two Rule 5 Drafts but is as close as he¡¯s ever been to cracking Kansas City¡¯s 40-man roster. The 23-year-old right-hander posted a 3.81 ERA with 82 strikeouts and 43 walks in 82 2/3 innings with Double-A Northwest Arkansas before making a late-season cameo with Triple-A Omaha that included starting the Triple-A National Championship Game in Las Vegas. Using a long arm action and over-the-top delivery, he¡¯s already touched 98.4 mph in the Fall League with his fastball and shows a low-80s curveball, low-90s changeup and occasional mid-80s slider.

Brandon Johnson, RHP: The 2023 ninth-round pick out of Ole Miss repeated Quad Cities this year before earning his first promotion to Northwest Arkansas in mid-June. He finished with a 4.23 ERA, 78 strikeouts and 23 walks in 55 1/3 innings between both stops, and his 31.6 percent K rate was fifth-best among the 48 K.C. Minor Leaguers with at least 50 frames in 2024. Using a short arm action, he¡¯s already touched 97 mph in the AFL and showed an 84-88 mph short slider -- the latter of which has been better at generating whiffs.

Chazz Martinez, LHP: A teammate of Squires during his one year at Oklahoma in 2022, Martinez went to the Royals as a 17th-rounder that year and has pitched exclusively in relief since. His most recent stop came at Quad Cities this summer, where he had a 4.09 ERA, 61 strikeouts and 35 walks in 50 2/3 innings. Martinez works east-west with a 90-92 mph sinker and 75-78 mph slider.

Shane Panzini, RHP: Panzini signed with the Royals for above slot at $997,500 as a 2021 fourth-rounder out of the New Jersey high-school ranks but has posted ERAs above 5.00 in each of his first three full seasons. He pitched for Quad Cities this summer, finishing with a 5.29 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 48 strikeouts in 51 innings, and missed out on two months of action after leaving a June 9 start with pain on his left side. Panzini has shown a 92-95 mph fastball, upper-80s cutter, mid-80s slider and 79-82 mph curveball in the AFL.

Anthony Simonelli, RHP: The 2021 16th-rounder heads into his first offseason of Rule 5 eligibility having posted a 2.93 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 87 strikeouts in 73 ? innings between Double-A and Triple-A during the regular season. The 25-year-old stumbled a bit at the higher level (4.96 ERA in 10 appearances), but there¡¯s some interesting stuff in his arsenal, including a 93-96 mph fastball, 88-90 mph cutter, 82-86 mph sweeper and 86-90 mph changeup. He has surprising splits, having held lefties to a .121 average in ¡®24.