Royals Star Makes Team Italy Announcement With Added Intrigue From No. 1 Prospect
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The World Baseball Classic is coming, and the Kansas City Royals will have their fingerprints all over it.
Star Royals pitcher Seth Lugo already announced his intention to play for Team Puerto Rico in the WBC in March. One has to imagine shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. will be invited back to Team USA, and perhaps he'll be joined by All-Star pitcher Cole Ragans.
On Wednesday, another Royals star committed to the event, and it's a player fans from all over the world can get behind supporting.
Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino made posts on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) announcing his intent to play for Team Italy for the second-straight WBC. The 27-year-old has Italian roots on his father's side of the family.
Pasquantino will likely be the most established big league bat in manager Mike Piazza's lineup. But things could get very interesting if another player in the Royals organization joins in the action.
Royals number-one prospect Jac Caglianone also has Team Italy eligibility, and is even an ambassador for the Italian-American Baseball Foundation. His power-hitting presence would be a huge get for Piazza's side, and it seems like it very well may be on the table.
Caglianone took to the comments section of Pasquantino's instagram post and simply posted two eye emojis, which one can assume at least hints at the possibility of him joining Team Italy as well.
The Italians (and Italian-Americans) don't quite have the depth of talent that teams like the U.S., Japan, the Dominican Republic, or Puerto Rico will bring to the WBC. But a good game from Pasquantino and Caglianone in tandem could give them a shot to beat just about anybody on the right day.
It will be exciting for Royals fans to watch Pasquantino in the event once more, and doubly exciting if Caglianone is there with him.
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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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