Royals' Jac Caglianone Gets Estimated 2025 MLB Debut Date From Prospect Evaluator
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Kansas City Royals fans wake up every morning from dreams about their favorite team having another power bat in the middle of their order.
It's not as though the Royals' lineup is terrible, and they have one of the most transcendent superstars in the game batting second in Bobby Witt Jr. But the lineup drops off fairly quickly thereafter, and while the current three, four, and five hitters are usually respectable, there's no one who truly strikes fear in opposing pitchers' hearts.
Fortunately, the Royals' number-one prospect is a major home run threat, probably the most powerful hitter in all of Minor League Baseball. First baseman Jac Caglianone was the team's first-round pick in 2024, but there's hope he could debut at some point during the 2025 season after lighting up spring training.
On Thursday, MLB Pipeline reporter Sam Dykstra projected that Caglianone could debut for Kansas City early in the second half of the season if he succeeds down on the farm, where he is beginning the year in Double-A.
"If Caglianone’s power plays like it could, he may be a real possibility for Kansas City by the second half," Dykstra wrote. "The Royals have even been open to the possibility of him moving from first base to the outfield to ease his route to the bigs, so if you see him getting time on the grass, start getting excited."
Caglianone, 22, lit up opposing pitching during his stay in major league camp this spring. He went 9-for-18 with three home runs, adding up to a gaudy 1.775 OPS. He'd love to keep up that torrid pace early in the season, which would likely help earn him a quick promotion to Triple-A.
And fittingly enough, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals' season opener is on Friday night, so it's nearly time to see if Caglianone can follow through on his big spring by smacking the ball around when the games count.
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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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