Royals' Jac Caglianone Combines Herculean Power With 'Astronomical' Chase Rate

Will the phenom improve his chase rate, and does it matter if he doesn't?

Jun 5, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals right fielder Jac Caglianone (14) reacts after hitting a one run double against the St. Louis Cardinals for his first Major League hit during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Kansas City Royals phenom Jac Caglianone is the most exciting rookie in baseball right now.

What’s intriguing about Caglianone is that he brings a dangerously powerful bat to the plate, but he also struggles with chase rate. Everyone’s wondering whether Caglianone will be able to improve his chase rate and become one of Major League Baseball’s most productive sluggers.

Those two outcomes aren’t mutually exclusive, either. There’s a chance Caglianone could be one of those guys who strikes out a ton while also hitting a ton of homers.

Standing at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, Caglianone presents a massive physical profile at the plate, and he’s been absolutely obliterating the baseball in Triple-A this season.

On a recent episode of the Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney podcast, ESPN’s gifted analyst Paul Hembekides discussed Caglianone’s strengths and weaknesses.

“In a season in which we have seen so many fascinating prospects with outlier skills enter the major leagues, he's probably the most fascinating of all of them, at least to me, because it's legit 80-grade light tower power,” Hembekides said.

“And the million dollar question of course is, is he gonna chase too frequently to tap into it frequently, right? And that's what makes him the ultimate boom-or-buster.”

“The hard-hit rate in Triple-A is 58 percent … the Major League average, for context, is 41. His average fly ball has traveled 28 feet further than the average fly ball. You wanna challenge him in the zone? He slugged .889 in Triple-A.”

“He's going to hit the piss out of the baseball. That we know. But on the other side, his swing decisions are concerning. They're problematic, perhaps not devastating, but it's the biggest reason why he wasn't the first pick in the country last year. Because his chase rate in Florida in his last two seasons was 42 percent. That is an astronomical number. It's an untenable number against Major League pitching. However, we did see that number checked down to 34 percent against Triple-A pitching.”

“What we know for sure is that Major League pitchers are going to require him to spit. Can you lay off spin … can you lay off (the) change up in? Splitter down in the zone?”

“When you blend all the attributes of his profile, he's almost like a science experiment. Gonna be one of my favorite players to follow across his rookie season.”

Caglianone tallied an RBI double on Thursday versus the St. Louis Cardinals, his first MLB hit.

More MLB: 3 MLB Comparisons For Royals Phenom Jac Caglianone