Jac Caglianone grabbed a cup of coffee from teammate Vinnie Pasquantino. He put on a suit jacket and indulged in a rite of passage — or special celebration — for any young hitter on Team Italy.
Moments later, Pasquantino gave him a big hug. He kissed both of Caglianone’s cheeks — an homage to Italian culture — with a big smile.
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Caglianone earned it all.
The Kansas City Royals standout had just homered on the global stage. He hit a 73-mph sweeper off Team USA reliever Ryan Yarbrough. The baseball was left over the plate and Caglianone deposited it into the right-field seats.
It was his first homer of the 2026 World Baseball Classic. And it gave Italy an early lead over the United States in Pool B play.
Caglianone got the barrel to the baseball. He shortened his swing and pulled the baseball over the wall.
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The Royals are hopeful to see similar results this season. Caglianone will have an integral role within the club’s lineup. He is known for his elite power but is still developing consistency at the plate.
“Out there, everyone is amped up and everybody is ready to go,” Caglianone said earlier this spring. “So you know, it’s like midseason-form baseball in March.”
A home run off Yarbrough — an established MLB pitcher — is a good start. According to Statcast, Caglianone registered a 110.4 exit velocity on the homer. The baseball traveled 403 feet at a 22-degree launch angle.
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With one swing, Caglianone continued his hot spring. He hit .400 (6-for-15) in Cactus League play before heading to the WBC.
A lot of work was done in big-league camp. Caglianone worked on his pitch selection and focused on staying balanced in the strike zone. The Royals have worked closely with him to find his footing ahead of his second season.
“I want him to be the best version of himself,” Royals hitting coach Marcus Thames said earlier in camp. “Just being here with (Royals lead hitting coach Alec Zumwalt) and helping unlock that out of him. He is a game-changer if we can get him in the right spots.”
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Caglianone provided a game-changing moment Tuesday. If he can carry the momentum into the regular season, it bodes well for the Royals in 2026.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source ca.sports.yahoo.com ’
