Jac Caglianone on the Rise in Latest MLB Mock Draft

Florida Gators star Jac Caglianone saw his stock continue to rise throughout the 2024 season.

Florida Gators slugger Jac Caglianone won't wait long to hear his name called in the MLB Draft. / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Despite being snubbed by the Golden Spikes Award committee, Florida Gators slugger Jac Caglianone proved time and time again that he was one of the three-best players in college baseball in 2024.

According to the latest mock draft from MLB.com, the big leagues agree.

Caglianone goes No. 3 overall to the Colorado Rockies in the latest from Jonathan Mayo.

3. Rockies: Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP, Florida (No. 3) I’m going according to chalk here, the top three players going in the top three spots. It does seem like the hitters are in the lead, though Burns and Smith (in that order) are still being discussed. The Rockies might also kick the tires on cutting a deal with one of the college hitters projected to go more in the middle of the first round, someone like Oklahoma State’s Carson Benge.

- Jonathan Mayo - MLB.com

Mayo had Oregon State's Travis Bazzana and Georgia's Charlie Condon going No. 1 and No. 2 to Cleveland and Cincinnati respectively. Mayo continues to hint that finances and signing bonuses could play a role in where each player is selected. With big NIL money available to the top players, they have less incentive to give bad teams, selecting at the top of the draft, a discount.

Mayo also hints that Caglianone is also in the Mix at No. 2.

"It sounds like the debate is continuing in Cincinnati about which college player to take here. I’m going with Condon, but Florida’s Jac Caglianone is very much in the mix," wrote Mayo.

There is very little talk about Caglianone's two-way ability as a prospect. Big-league teams see him as a middle of the order thumper at first base.

It's not hard to find a comp for Caglianone with any of first-three teams drafting. Each have legendary-left-handed first basemen in their recent history. The Guardians would love the next Jim Thome, the Reds Joey Votto, and the Rockies Todd Helton.

The trio hit a combined 1,337 home runs and had a 1.21 strikeout to walk ratio. By comparison, Christian Walker of the Arizona Diamondbacks leads MLB first basemen in home runs with 22, and he strikes out almost three-times as often as he walks. Thome, Votto, and Helton put the ball in play.

Caglianone set the Florida Gators' career record for home runs and walked more than he struck out in 2024.

75TH CAREER HOME RUN @jac_caglianone #MCWS x 🎥 ESPN / @GatorsBB pic.twitter.com/4jXrtfXjfp

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 19, 2024

Bad teams stay bad by making financial decisions instead of baseball decisions.

If a team wants one of the best players available in the draft, they take Jac Caglianone. If they want to cut financial deals with a lesser prospect, they could find themselves doing the same at the top of the draft for years on end.

The MLB Draft starts on Sunday, July 14th at 5:00 p.m. EST in Forth Worth, Texas.