Former Gators Baseball Star Jac Caglianone Makes MLB History

Former Florida Gators slugger Jac Caglianone continues to make the headlines, as Kansas City's rising star had a historic night at the plate in the Royals' 13-2 thumping over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday.

Caglianone recorded a stat line no other MLB hitter has achieved in league history. He batted 5-for-6 with one home run, one double, six RBIs, three runs scored and one strikeout. Moreover, he became the youngest Royal ever to have at least five hits and five RBIs in a single game.

JAC CAGLIANONE HAVE A NIGHT.

5 hits.⁰6 RBI.⁰Royals history.

At 23 years old, he’s the youngest Royal ever to have 5+ hits and 5+ RBI in a game. pic.twitter.com/Vue9Is43Cs
— Michaela Bennett (@MichaelaB_22) August 28, 2026

His lone home run against the Blue Jays came in his final at-bat in the ninth. Caglianone took advantage of the Blue Jays closing the game with outfielder Myles Straw toeing the rubber, sending the third pitch he saw to the fans in right field to cap off his historic night.

After his strong night, he is batting .282 with 23 homers, 66 RBIs, 24 doubles and two triples in his first full MLB season. He also has a .832 OPS.

The past 30 days have been very kind for the former Gator, playing a major role in stats ballooning up to where they are right now. Since July 29, Caglianone is slashing .387/.406/.645. He has also recorded 14 runs, 27 RBIs, six home runs and six doubles with a 191 OPS+ and 1.2 fWAR.

Jac Caglianone.

Enough said. pic.twitter.com/clk9s6KDLE
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) August 28, 2026

It is not surprising to see Caglianone reach the heights he has, though. Well, at least for those who enjoyed his time at Florida.

He was a hitter that every team feared in his three years with the Gators. He was a unanimous two-time First Team All-American (2023, 2024), two-time First Team All-SEC (2023, 2024), 2024 John Olerud 2-Way Player of the Year and 2023 Golden Spikes Award finalist throughout his time in Gainesville.

Additionally, Caglianone's power has always been there. With 75 homers in his collegiate career, he ranks No. 1 in Gators history for career home runs. He set that record in his final season with the program after hitting 35 home runs, which was also a single-season program record.

Overall, Caglianone finished with a .355 batting average, 75 home runs, 28 doubles, 189 RBIs and 225 hits in 165 games played for Florida.

So, while it was not instantaneous for Caglianone in his half-season with Kansas City in 2025, the former Gator is slowly becoming the player he was in college for the Royals.

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