The Kansas City Royals desperately need their top young prospect, Jac Caglianone, to take a big step forward this year. While he was one of the more hyped up prospects in baseball last year, the production didn’t match.
Caglianone posted a 49 OPS+ with a batting average well below .200 and a WAR of -1.3. But he’s already looked much better this spring.
MLB.com’s Anne Rogers recently praised Caglianone after Tuesday’s 460-foot home run against the Cincinnati Reds.
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“Caglianone has gone 3-for-8 in Cactus League games this spring, with a home run, one walk and two strikeouts,” Rogers wrote. “He’s had a couple of good at-bats on the backfields in live BPs, including a home run off Carlos Estevez this past weekend.
“Results are always great to see, but the Royals are watching Caglianone’s process at the plate, especially after he spent the offseason working on his approach and swing decisions. He’s tried to be a ‘tough critic,’ in his mind, and not looking so much at whether he’s getting a hit or not, but what he did that led to a certain result.”
Jac Caglianone is a prime bounce back candidate
Caglianone’s raw power is near the top of the league. On an individual swing basis, he can hit balls as hard as as far as Aaron Judge, Oneil Cruz, Giancarlo Stanton, and the other best sluggers in baseball. The difference comes with how often the top sluggers in the league are able to do it. Caglianone struggles to repeat his in-game power on a consistent basis.
Two days after his monster home run against the Reds, Caglianone registered another incredible batted ball, this one staying in the yard as a double.
During the fifth inning of Thursday’s spring training game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Caglianone smashed a double with an exit velocity of 120.2 miles per hour. There were only a handful of batted balls hit harder than this 120 mile per hour double from the Royals outfielder.
The raw power is there. The ability is there. The Royals need him to put together the pieces to continue trending in the right direction. Fortunately, the young outfielder is off to a hot start this spring.
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