Baseball is a cruel game. One minute you're the "Jachtani" of the SEC, launched into the stratosphere with a 516-foot home run at Florida, and the next, you’re staring at a .157 batting average in the big leagues. Honestly, the 2025 season was a reality check for Jac Caglianone and everyone who thought he’d just waltz into Kauffman Stadium and start denting the fountains.
He didn't.
But if you’re ready to write him off, you're missing the forest for the trees. The Kansas City Royals didn't draft this guy 6th overall in 2024 to be a finished product by June of 2025. They drafted him for the 114 mph exit velocities. They drafted him for the "JacHammer" power that makes professional scouts look like giddy kids.
The 2025 Reality Check
Let’s be real: Caglianone’s debut on June 3, 2025, against the Cardinals was basically a microcosm of his whole year. He went 0-for-5. But—and this is a big "but"—he absolutely smoked two of those balls at 113.9 mph and 112.1 mph. It was the hardest contact of the game. He just hit them directly at people.
That was the story of his rookie year.
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He finished with a slash line of .157/.237/.295. That looks like a typo, right? Especially after he tore through Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha, hitting .337 with 20 homers across those levels before the call-up.
The struggle in Kansas City wasn't just "bad luck," though luck played a part. His Batting Average on Balls in Play (BABIP) was a miserable .172. For context, the league average is usually around .300. When you hit the ball as hard as Jac does—he had a 42.4% hard-hit rate—you expect those balls to find holes. In 2025, they found gloves.
The "Two-Way" Question Is Basically Settled
Everyone wanted to know if he’d keep pitching. Can he be the next Ohtani?
Well, the Royals made their stance pretty clear. During his first big-league camp in 2025, they worked him strictly as a position player. He spent time at first base and then moved to the outfield once he hit Triple-A. In the majors, we saw him mostly in right field and at DH.
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Why? Because the bat is too special to risk.
His 43% chase rate in college was the red flag. Pro pitchers exploited that. He was aggressive—kinda too aggressive—and got caught fishing for breaking balls out of the zone. You can't blame him; when you have 80-grade raw power, you want to swing at everything. But the jump from the SEC to the AL Central is a canyon, not a gap.
Why 2026 Could Be Different
Here is why the Royals are still all-in on Caglianone for the 2026 campaign. They are literally moving the fences in at Kauffman Stadium.
In January 2026, the team announced they are bringing in the outfield walls in both corners. If you're a left-handed power hitter like Jac (or Vinnie Pasquantino), that’s like a late Christmas gift.
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- The Launch Angle Fix: Half of Jac's batted balls in 2025 were grounders. That’s a death sentence for a power hitter.
- The Discipline: He’s had a full offseason to work on that "steep, uphill swing" that scouts mentioned.
- The Position: He’s currently slated to compete for an Opening Day roster spot in the outfield alongside guys like Kyle Isbel and Lane Thomas.
He's also committed to playing for Team Italy in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Getting those high-stakes reps before the MLB season starts might be exactly what he needs to shake off the "sophomore" (or technically, post-rookie) jitters.
What to Watch For in Spring Training
If you're heading to Surprise, Arizona, or just following the box scores, don't look at the batting average. Look at the walk-to-strikeout ratio.
In his 2025 minor league stint, he walked about 10% of the time. In the majors, that dropped to 7.8%. If he can get that back up and stop chasing the "junk" pitches, the home runs will come naturally. He’s 6'5" and 250 pounds; he doesn't need to try to hit home runs. They just happen when he makes contact.
The Royals are at a crossroads. They have the superstar in Bobby Witt Jr. and the steady hand in Salvy Perez. They need a "boogeyman" in the middle of the order. Caglianone is the only person in the system with the ceiling to be that guy.
Your Next Steps for Following Jac in 2026
If you want to track whether the breakout is actually happening, skip the highlights and look at the Statcast data.
- Check his Launch Angle: If he stays above 15 degrees consistently, he’s going to hit 30+ homers.
- Watch his Zone Contact %: Is he hitting the strikes? If he stops swinging at sliders in the dirt, he's dangerous.
- Monitor the Outfield Defense: If he becomes a reliable right fielder, it keeps his bat in the lineup every single day, even when Vinnie is at first.
The 2025 stats were ugly. There's no way around it. But the talent is still there, and the Royals are betting the house—and the stadium dimensions—that the JacHammer is about to drop.