Royals Jac Caglianone’s Home Run Derby performance proved he belongs in this event

The Kansas City Royals were treated to their sixth Home Run Derby participant in franchise history when Jac Caglianone graced the Citizens Bank Park batters box on Monday night. While they hadn’t seen a winner before, there was a palpable buzz surrounding his participation, one that perhaps the Royals faithful hadn’t experienced for decades.

His eight first-round homers may not have been enough to see him to the second round, but his perfromance wasn’t a complete disappointment, or a disappointment by most stretches really. The 23-year-old slugger put on a show, even if his total didn’t fall within the top four.

Of his eight long balls in the derby, Caglianone didn’t hit any squeakers with his shortest one being 405-feet. Half of his homers were above 460-feet and three quarters were above 430-feet. And his 447-foot third deck shot may not have been the longest homer hit on Monday, but it was certainly one of the most memorable highlights of the evening.

Simply put, while he may’ve flashed signs of being a rookie in the event, he showcased that immense power that made him a top prospect in baseball not long ago and has him as one of the brightest up-and-coming names in baseball and an integral piece to the Royals lineup.

There’s no reason to believe that he didn’t earn himself a chance at redemption in the future.

Jac Caglianone’s power will be key for Royals if they are to save face this season

At this point, the writing appears to be on the wall for this Royals team in 2026, even if the front office has yet to formally commit to a direction at the trade deadline. With the joint worst record in baseball alongside the lowly and perennially rebuilding Los Angeles Angels, there doesn’t appear to be hopes of a comeback, even if the American League postseason picture looks as wide open as it has in years.

However, the Royals don’t have to simply sink in the quicksand. Baseball is a 162-game season and there’s still 65 games left to be played. While they may not be gearing up to make a run for October, the next few months could be key for the Royals to really toy around with some things and see what they have to hopefully compete in 2027, like many thought they would this season initially.

This is where Caglianone comes in, as he’s been a revelation for them after his slow start. At points in the last several weeks, the young phenom has looked like their best hitter in the lineup and took the mantle of three-hole hitter and ran with it when Vinnie Pasquantino went down injured earlier in the year.

And of regular hitters, Caglianone has really adopted the Robin role to Bobby Witt Jr.’s Batman, sitting second to him in both wRC+ and OPS this season among Royals hitters with 200+ plate appearances.

He’s finally displaying the potential that made him such a hot prospect when he skyrocketed through the minors last season. And as the Royals lineup continues to return to health (fingers crossed), he’s proven to be a key fixture amidst the middle if the order, where he can really utilize that power.

The Royals sit just 25th in the majors this season in homers, so perhaps with proper lineup protection like names like Pasquantino can offer, Caglianone’s power can be unlocked even further and become more useful for making this Royals lineup more consistent and all-in-all a better watch for frustrated fans.