Royals' Most Exciting Prospect Not Yet Finished Playing Baseball In 2024
The future of the Kansas City Royals is getting brighter. This fall, that future will be on full display.
After graduating Bobby Witt Jr. to the majors in 2022, the Royals had been in search of their next transcendent star in their farm system. It appears they may have found him in the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft.
With the sixth overall pick in July, the Royals selected University of Florida first baseman/left-handed pitcher Jac Caglianone, whose pure baseball talent may have been the best in this year's draft class. Caglianone debuted with the Royals' High-A team this summer, but that won't be the last fans see of him on the diamond in 2024.
On Wednesday, Caglianone was announced as one of nine Royals prospects headed to play in the Arizona Fall League, a yearly showcase of MLB's top prospect talent that runs from early October to mid-November.
Caglianone will be joined by fellow Royals farmhands Luinder Avila (right-handed pitcher), Carter Jensen (catcher), Carter Johnson (RHP), Chazz Martinez (left-handed pitcher), Shane Panzini (RHP), Anthony Simonelli (RHP), Brett Squires (1B) and Daniel Vázquez (infielder) in the AFL.
Presumably, Caglianone will be limited to playing first base in the AFL, as he was kept off the mound in the minors this summer as well. He threw 73 2/3 innings at Florida this year, punching out 83 batters but allowing a 4.76 ERA.
In the minors, Caglianone slashed .241/.302/.388 in 29 games. He hit two home runs, drove in 14 runners, and scored 13 times. He is currently ranked at the 15th-best prospect in all of baseball by MLB.com
The Royals prospects will all be teammates on the Surprise Saguaros, one of six teams in the AFL. They will be joined by prospects from the Houston Astros, Cleveland Guardians, Baltimore Orioles, and Texas Rangers.
It's the end to a long season of baseball for Caglianone, who went to the College World Series with Florida before debuting in the minors. His season could now run through Nov. 16 if the Saguaros end up in the championship game.
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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