The Kansas City Royals opened their series against the Texas Rangers with a 5-3 win on Tuesday. The win marked Kansas City’s third straight and its sixth in the last eight games.
Kansas City’s offense has been a bright spot during its recent stretch of success. Over those last eight games, the Royals have scored 45 runs.
In Tuesday’s win, one bat was responsible for much of the offensive production. A player the Royals were counting on to break out this season has been swinging the bat exceptionally well as of late.
Jac Caglianone is finding his groove at the plate
Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone had a flawless night at the plate on Tuesday, going 3-for-3 with two home runs and three RBIs.
Caglianone began his night by working an impressive 11-pitch walk. He followed that up with a 421-foot home run in the fifth inning before launching another homer 431 feet in the sixth.
Over the last 15 days, the 23-year-old has posted a .350/.447/.600 slash line with a 1.047 OPS and three home runs. Caglianone has provided a major spark for a Royals offense that was in desperate need of one.
This type of production is exactly what Kansas City hoped to see from Caglianone entering the season.
It was clear this offseason that the Royals were looking for continued development from their young hitters, with Caglianone at the top of the list.
Instead of making a blockbuster trade or major free-agent addition, the Royals were banking on their young hitters to break out and provide that level of production.
So far this season, some of Caglianone’s underlying metrics have been jaw-dropping.
He currently owns a 59.7% hard-hit rate, which ranks in the 100th percentile across MLB, according to Statcast.
Some of his other notable metrics include a 94 mph average exit velocity, which ranks in the 96th percentile. His 16.4% barrel rate and 76.7 mph bat speed both rank in the 95th percentile.
It is no secret that Caglianone possesses a different level of power at the plate. That power was on full display Tuesday.
When you combine discipline, approach and consistency with the power he possesses, the sky is the limit. That is exactly what Caglianone has displayed over the past 15 days, and the numbers back it up.
Caglianone has played a major role in the Royals’ recent success. After a rocky start to the season and a slide down the standings, Kansas City appears to be building momentum as it looks to climb out of the 28-39 hole it dug for itself.
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