Padres All-Star Jackson Merrill Gives 'Props' To Royals' Jac Caglianone
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Jac Caglianone is brand-new to playing the outfield, but you would never have known it if you started watching him on Sunday.
In the Kansas City Royals' 3-2 loss to the San Diego Padres, Caglianone robbed star Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill of a would-be go-ahead home run. Caglianone ranged back to the right-center field gap at Petco Park and used his 6-foot-5 frame to extend half of his right arm over the wall.
Caglianone was a pitcher and first baseman his entire life, and he didn't appear in a game in right field as a professional until last month. To go from no experience to robbing a home run from an All-Star within three weeks of your major league debut deserves endless praise.
Merrill, in fact, may have praised Caglianone the loudest.
“Unbelievable,” Merrill said, per Andrés Soto of MLB.com. “For someone that doesn't play the outfield that much, too, that was unbelievable. So props to him.”
Ironically enough, Merrill also made a transition to the outfield at the major league level. The two are the same age, but Merrill is leaner and faster, and has become a well-above-average defensive center fielder for the Padres.
Merrill also touched on how impressive it is for the 250-pound Caglianone to make the transition.
"He's got a big body, big frame,” Merrill said, per Soto. “So it's a little different with him transferring to the outfield from first base than it was with me from shortstop. And he's doing it in right field, which is one of the hardest spots across the outfield.”
Though they play in opposite leagues, the two 22-year-olds will certainly cross paths again, and the future of baseball is bright with both of them trending toward long-term stardom.
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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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