The Kansas City Royals are concluding their first half with a series against the Baltimore Orioles. It has been a disappointing season for Kansas City as the team has failed to meet expectations and is way below the .500 mark.
One player who has surpassed them this year, though, is left-handed slugger Jac Caglianone. After struggling during his rookie season last year, posting a .157 batting average, .237 on-base percentage and .532 OPS, many questioned the Royals’ decision to bring him up so quickly.
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After drafting him sixth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft he had spent less than a year in the minors prior to his call-up. The 23-year-old has answered those questions this year, posting a .257 batting average, .320 on-base percentage, .777 OPS, 14 home runs and 34 RBIs across 87 games. He has been a bright spot every time he steps into that lineup.
Earlier this week, Caglianone revealed on social media he will be competing in this year’s Home Run Derby. Although he will not be on the AL All-Star roster, he will still get to take part in the festivities in Philadelphia.
The Royals’ final series before the break is against the Baltimore Orioles, meaning players on the other side naturally get asked about their opponents.
Orioles star first baseman Pete Alonso was asked about his thoughts on Caglianone participating in the Home Run Derby. The two share a special connection, having attended the same high school and college at the University of Florida before advancing to MLB.
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“He’s going to put balls over the batter’s eye, hit balls in the second deck, maybe even third deck. He’ll hit a few oppo. He’s built for that event,” Alonso said (h/t Royals reporter Joel Goldberg).
Receiving that kind of praise from Alonso is noteworthy. Alonso remains one of the more memorable Home Run Derby participants of the past decade, winning the event back in 2019 and 2021 during his time with the New York Mets.
Getting that kind of endorsement from a two-time champion of the event carries real weight heading into the competition.
Caglianone will enter a loaded tournament compared to years past, with most of the game’s top home run hitters competing. It will be a tough road and he will be a heavy underdog. But there is a real chance he gives Royals fans a positive reason to look back on this season by crushing some baseballs at Citizens Bank Park.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source sports.yahoo.com ’
