Caglianone meets Kershaw -- the outcome? Two hits for Royals' top prospect

If Jac Caglianone has any concern about facing Major League pitching, it sure wasn't showing on Tuesday.

And MLB's No. 20 prospect wasn't just facing any big leaguer -- he was staring down future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw. The results: a pair of knocks as part of a three-hit game in Double-A Northwest Arkansas' 9-7 win over Tulsa on Tuesday at Arvest Ballpark.

"To be honest with you, it was pretty surreal," said Caglianone, who added that Kershaw was a major influence on him pitching in high school and college. "You're stepping in the box against somebody that you grew up watching and kind of emulated as a kid. It was a really cool feeling. ¡­ It was just one of those full-circle things. Like, dang, I really grew up watching this guy on TV and now I'm facing him."

Kershaw was making his second rehab start as he returns from offseason left toe and knee injuries. The legendary Dodgers southpaw was effective overall, striking out four across three innings of one-run ball, but just could not figure out Caglianone.

The Royals' top prospect worked a 2-2 count in the first inning before ripping a fastball on the outer edge of the plate to the left-field wall on a bounce for a double. Kershaw again got to two strikes in the third, but Caglianone stung a low 3-2 fastball up the middle for a single.

The 22-year-old later reached three more times against fellow lefties. He was hit by a pitch and walked against Jackson Ferris (MLB No. 67) and singled to left off Ronan Kopp.

Caglianone is no stranger to facing top-flight arms. Playing college ball for Florida in the SEC, he faced future first-rounders Hagen Smith, Jurrangelo Cijntje, Chase Dollander and Chase Burns -- and even homered off the latter.

Since the Royals drafted him sixth overall last July, Caglianone has gotten the chance to face a number of Major League pitchers. During Spring Training, he went a perfect 4-for-4 against the Reds' Hunter Greene (double and single) and the Brewers' Aaron Civale (home run) and Nestor Cortes Jr. (double).

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"My first Spring Training couldn't have gone any better, being able to go up there relaxed, composed," Caglianone said. "The overall vibe of Spring Training is just getting back to being acclimated to seeing live arms, and I went into every day just wanting to take away something positive from each and every day. Being able to square off with those guys was cool. It gave me that extra boost of confidence when you found success with them."

Through 16 games at Double-A, the slugging first baseman tops the Texas League in RBIs (20) and stands in a three-way tie for the circuit lead in home runs (four) while slashing .288/.367/.515. And the way he's hitting, it may not be long before he gets to use that increasing confidence against big league pitchers on a full-time basis.