PEORIA, Ariz. -- The similarities between Nick Kurtz and Jac Caglianone are almost too numerous to recount. Both are left-handed-hitting first basemen with a ton of power. Both played for a big-time Division I program: Kurtz at Wake Forest, Caglianone at Florida. Both made it to the 2023 College World Series, and both lost multiple games in Omaha that June to eventual champions Louisiana State.

Both were top 10 picks in the Draft that year: The A¡¯s took Kurtz No. 4 overall and signed him for $7 million, while Caglianone went two selections later, No. 6 overall to the Royals, and received a $7.5 million bonus. And now both are playing in the Arizona Fall League.

However, as of Thursday, the two have never actually played against each other -- or even met.

¡°He¡¯s super fun to watch, especially in their World Series run when we were there in 2023,¡± Caglianone said. ¡°He¡¯s just a great player. He¡¯s got a great eye, he¡¯s got a ton of juice, as he showed [Wednesday] night. I¡¯m excited to get to meet him. I think it¡¯s pretty cool coming from two big conferences and had a lot of success in college, building off of that.¡±

¡°He¡¯s a great player, just like all the guys who were drafted around the same time I was, they¡¯re all great,¡± Kurtz said. ¡°I¡¯m using them as something to look after, something to chase after, but also it¡¯s a game within yourself. If you look at everyone else and what they¡¯re doing, it¡¯s hard to stay true to yourself and be where your feet are. So I¡¯m just being really sure I¡¯m present, and the rest will take care of itself.¡±

Both Kurtz and Caglianone took care of things at the plate on Thursday, with performances that should spark the imagination of A¡¯s and Royals fans alike. The two left-handed hitters went a combined 7-for-10 with two homers, a triple, a double and seven RBIs in their respective afternoon games.

A day after hitting his first home run of the fall, Kurtz was three-quarters of the way to a cycle by the second inning, doubling and tripling in an 11-run first en route to Mesa's 17-4 victory over Salt River. MLB's No. 45 prospect added a pair of singles and drove in four, missing only the home run to finish things off.

¡°Definitely well aware,¡± Kurtz said. ¡°I think it got in my head a little bit too much, but it¡¯s all good. It¡¯ll come eventually.¡±

Caglianone could have lent a long ball to his counterpart as MLB's No. 17 prospect went deep in his first two at-bats for Surprise during a 12-5 win over Peoria. The pair¡¯s four extra-base hits can make any fan of exit velocity sit upright and take note.

Caglianone¡¯s first homer: 111.6 mph
Caglianone¡¯s second homer: 106 mph
Kurtz¡¯s double: 106.6 mph
Kurtz¡¯s triple: 102.4 mph

For Caglianone, who has been in the desert since the fall campaign's Opening Day, Thursday¡¯s outburst (he also had a 110 mph lineout) was a continuation of him feeling more comfortable at the plate. After a four-hit performance in his second game, he had gone just 6-for-38 (.158). But the Royals' top prospect was 6-for-14 over his past three games and may have unlocked something just by syncing up his practice mechanics with what he does in the game.

¡°I guess I had a different stance in BP than I did in the games, I was a little bit wider,¡± Caglianone said. ¡°I decided today I was going to try it, was a little shortened up. It ended up working out, saw the ball really well, thought I was on time for everything. That was a great feeling I was having this week, hoping to carry it over.¡±

Kurtz was a midseason addition to the Solar Sox and Thursday marked just his fourth game. The A's No. 2 prospect had been shut down at the end of August because of a hamstring injury, so it's understandable that there might be a little rust. He's shaken it off in a hurry, though, erasing a 1-for-8 showing over his first two games by going 7-for-9 with three extra-base hits in his past two contests.

¡°It took me a game and a few at-bats to kind of settle back in, but I felt great today -- felt great yesterday as well,¡± Kurtz said. ¡°So hopefully I can just keep it going.¡±

Regardless of what kind of numbers the two put up for the rest of the AFL, they both know extending a year of baseball that started on campus in mid-February will do nothing but help them as they move forward.

¡°The biggest thing is just experience, and I think that¡¯s what the org wanted me to do -- get out here and keep getting my feet wet and get more immersed into professional baseball,¡± Caglianone said. ¡°I¡¯m super thankful they gave me the opportunity to be out here.¡±

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¡°Just from sitting in the dugout with these guys and having conversations, I¡¯ve learned so much,¡± Kurtz said. ¡°Niko Kavadas (LAA No. 29) just made his MLB debut, and I¡¯m talking to him about hitting and defense and all that stuff. There¡¯s a bunch of other guys who¡¯ve been playing pro ball for a lot longer than I have, know a lot more than I do, so I¡¯m just learning from them, the manager, the hitting coaches and everyone else here. That makes it a lot easier going into next year as well.¡±

Surprise plays at Mesa on Monday. Perhaps that can be the start of this pair of prospects -- who will inevitably be linked because of their spots in the Draft, offensive profiles and positions -- becoming resources for each other as well.

¡°It¡¯s always good to have those type of guys, to be in the same Draft class with someone as talented as he is,¡± Caglianone said. ¡°I¡¯m just looking forward to getting to meet him, talk to him, start a friendship. As the seasons go on and as our careers keep going, the more we¡¯ll get to know each other and the better friends we¡¯ll be.¡±