Former Gators Star Named A Top Candidate For AL Rookie Of The Year

The former Florida Gators two-way star hasn't had an MLB at-bat yet, and he's already in the race for the top rookie honor in the American League

Less than a year after going pro, the Gators star is already a rookie favorite | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Former Florida Gators two-way star and Kansas City Royals top prospect Jac Caglianone has been given the second-best odds for the American League's Rookie of the Year award by ESPN. He sits behind the Athletics' Jacob Wilson.

While yet to record an at-bat in the big leagues, Caglianones’ odds to win the honor shot up from eighth best to second after it was announced he would be joining the Royals Sunday. They now sit at +1500, after being twice that last week.

Though the star prospect has shown impressive power in the minors, his chances at winning the highest rookie honor this year are still very slim due to the incredible season Wilson has had. The Athletics impressive youngster sits as a -375 favorite to win ROY while hitting .357 with seven homers through 57 games.

At Florida, Caglianone was not a stranger to winning awards, including being selected as the John Olerud two-way player of the year in 2024. Despite that, he was notably not a Golden Spikes finalist in his final season as a Gator.

Though not extremely likely, the expectations are clearly high for the 22-year-old. He has better odds than players such as Jasson Dominguez, who has 291 more MLB plate appearances.

Just the fact that Caglianone is given such a chance while being less than a year removed from college baseball is truly impressive. Exactly a year ago, he was hitting three-run home runs in an elimination game to help Florida advance past the Stillwater regional.

If one thing is for certain, it is that the Florida legend can do things baseball fans have never seen before. Now, he gets to show if he can do it at the game's highest level.