Insider Pours Cold Water On Fast MLB Promotion For Royals' No. 1 Prospect
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Kansas City Royals fans are clamoring for number-one prospect Jac Caglianone, and for good reason.
The Royals are off to a brutal start on offense, ranking dead last in both team home runs and home runs by outfielders. Meanwhile, Caglianone, who is learning to play the corner outfield after being drafted as a first baseman in July, looks the part of a power-hitting superstar.
With four home runs and eye-popping exit velocity metrics through 21 games at Double-A, it's easy to see why some think the Royals could fast-track Caglianone to the big leagues. But as one insider explains, the organization is taking their time with the 22-year-old.
During an appearance on MLB Network on Tuesday, Major League Baseball insider Jon Heyman reported that his sources in the Kansas City organization were telling him the team wants to be methodical about eventually promoting Caglianone to the big leagues.
"He's playing the outfield now, so there could be room as an outfielder for him," Heyman said. "But I've been in touch with the Royals and they are saying they're gonna take it slow with Caglianone. They still see a couple of things they'd like to improve upon.
"This is a guy with immense talent, (who) was a great hitter and pitcher at Florida... I'm sure their fans are calling for him, he's got an .850 OPS, solid, at Double-A Northwest Arkansas... He looks good but they want to see a little bit more. They probably want to see how he does in the outfield."
Caglianone played only 29 games at High-A last season after he was drafted, and he's still playing two levels below major league competition. Plus, learning the outfield is no small task, and Kauffman Stadium is a particularly vast outfield to learn to cover.
None of this should tamper down enthusiasm that Royals fans have for Caglianone, who could well be the cleanup hitter for this Royals team for the next decade-plus. But expecting him to debut within the next month, and perhaps even before the All-Star break, seems overly optimistic.
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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
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