SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Jac Caglianone did everything he could this spring to show the Royals the impact he could bring to the big leagues, but it won¡¯t be on Opening Day.
The club sent its top prospect and MLB¡¯s No. 22 prospect to Minor League camp on Monday morning, ending an overall impressive first big league camp for Caglianone, who was just drafted last July with the No. 6 overall pick.
Caglianone hit three massive homers and posted a 1.871 OPS across 17 Cactus League at-bats this spring. He had more walks (five) than strikeouts (three). His average exit velocity was 94.6 mph. He made strides defensively at first base, which is what the Royals wanted to see when they brought him to camp solely as a hitter instead of the two-way player he was at Florida.
¡°The quality of the at-bats were really good,¡± general manager J.J. Picollo said. ¡°You can see why our scouts felt so good about him and are so high on him. He just needs to keep building that foundation to become a ready Major League hitter. ¡®When¡¯ is a tough question to answer, but clearly what we saw this camp was very impressive.¡±
The 22-year-old Caglianone seemed to fit right in with his future teammates like Vinnie Pasquantino, Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr.
¡°I think he did an incredible job, not only on the field, but in the clubhouse, the way that he responded to the other guys, the way they responded to him,¡± manager Matt Quatraro added. ¡°You could tell he earned their respect very quickly for the way he goes about it. He¡¯s a pro, and that happened quickly.¡±
Now Caglianone is tasked with continuing all that in the Minor Leagues, beginning with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. How quickly he¡¯ll go to Triple-A Omaha -- and then Kansas City -- will be dependent on his performance.
If it¡¯s anything like this spring, it won¡¯t be long.
¡°I think I showed what I¡¯m capable of,¡± Caglianone said. ¡°I went out here just wanting to perform. Get to know everybody. Get comfortable out here. And I think I did that. Definitely learned a lot. Being around a bunch of big leaguers was the coolest thing ever.¡±
In Double-A, Caglianone will continue to play first, as he still needs to show improvement. But once he reaches Triple-A, he¡¯ll likely start getting reps in the outfield.
¡°I hope to carry over exactly what I¡¯ve been doing,¡± Caglianone said. ¡°Still working on shrinking the zone a little bit more, but I¡¯m taking my walks now, which is great. Feel like I¡¯m super comfortable up there. Feel like I¡¯m picking up the ball early. Swing feels great. I¡¯m hoping to carry it over.¡±
As great as his spring was, the Royals always felt that Caglianone would start in the Minors, just to get everyday at-bats in his first full pro season. He was better than expected this spring with the way he worked at-bats, especially with some questions around his swing-and-miss coming into camp. But he¡¯s been able to make adjustments quickly and lay off some tough pitches.
¡°Just because he¡¯s not on our Opening Day roster doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re not going to be open-minded to him being on the team at some point,¡± Picollo said. ¡°Regardless, I think he¡¯s going to be a fast mover to the Major Leagues. It¡¯s just a matter of when we feel secure that when he comes up, we have less doubt about having to option him back.¡±
The Royals also reassigned shortstop Cam Devanney and outfielders Gavin Cross (No. 6 prospect) and John Rave to Minor League camp, all of whom are considered part of their depth this year. Cross had a great spring, slashing .375/.500/.625. After an unusual start to his pro career, he¡¯s starting to look like the hitter Kansas City drafted No. 9 overall in 2022. The bat speed and strength are more apparent in his swing.
¡°To know you belong on the same field and go out there and actually produce, those thoughts of belonging actually become belief of belonging,¡± Quatraro said. ¡°I think that¡¯s what this spring did for him.¡±
Devanney is solid shortstop depth and will move around a bit more to increase his versatility this year.
And Rave, according to team officials, was one of the harder decisions in camp. He might have made the team if he was right-handed -- and able to pinch-hit for the everyday lefties when a tough lefty is on the mound -- because the 27-year-old can play all three outfield spots, steal a bag and make solid contact. He should get an opportunity in Kansas City this season.