Royals' Jac Caglianone Draws Rave Review From World Series Champion Predecessor
Jac Caglianone could be one of the great power hitters in Major League Baseball someday very soon.
The Kansas City Royals' first-round draft pick destroyed high-quality pitching during his time in big-league spring training camp, and fans couldn't be more excited about his potential to impact the club if and when he makes his debut this season.
But what's that old saying? Sometimes, it takes a great lefty-hitting Kansas City first baseman to know one.
At one point, former Royals World Series champion and four-time Gold Glover Eric Hosmer was in Caglianone's shoes. Now retired, Hosmer expects big things from his potential successor.
In a recent social media post, Hosmer listed out Caglianone's accomplishments within the last year, ranging from a College World Series appearance at Florida all the way through his dominant big-league camp, and shared his thoughts on the 22-year-old's bright future.
“All this combined with the Royals offseason program!” Hosmer wrote of Caglianone Tuesday on X. “Cags validates that he’s got big league tools, he’s seen the big leaguers work and how to take his routine & preparation to the next level! No more doubt for Cags as far as wondering what it takes, blueprints laid out young stud! Now we go!”
From a semantical standpoint, Caglianone might not take over the first base job in Kansas City, instead heading to the outfield with Vinnie Pasquantino manning Hosmer's old position for now. But Caglianone might also hit more home runs in a single season than either of his elders could ever envision.
Caglianone's ceiling is so high that someday, he could elevate himself high above Hosmer in the pantheon of Royals greats. But for right now, as he readies himself to debut this season in Double-A, he's just got to concentrate on getting himself to the big leagues.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org