Jac Caglianone
| Jac Caglianone | |
|---|---|
 Caglianone in 2023 | |
| Florida Gators | |
| Pitcher / First baseman | |
| Born: February 9, 2003 Tampa, Florida, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left |
Jeffrey Alan "Jac" Caglianone (born February 9, 2003) is an American baseball pitcher and first baseman for the Florida Gators. He was selected by the Kansas City Royals with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
Amateur career
Caglianone grew up in Tampa, Florida and attended Henry B. Plant High School.[1] As a senior, he batted .371 with three home runs and posted a 2.44 ERA with two saves and 65 strikeouts over 37+1⁄3 innings pitched.[2] Caglianone tore his left ulnar collateral ligament while playing in a postseason All-Star game after the season.[3]
Caglianone initially planned on redshirting his freshman season at Florida while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but ultimately played as a designated hitter.[4] He batted .288 with seven home runs during his freshman season.[5] Caglianone returned to pitching during Florida's fall practices in 2022.[6] He entered his sophomore season as both a starting pitcher and as the Gators' starting first baseman.[7] Caglianone was named the NCBWA Player of the Month for February after collecting 15 hits in 35 at-bats with seven home runs and also striking out 15 batters over 11+1⁄3 innings pitched.[8] He broke Florida's single-season home run record after hitting his 27th of the year and finished with 33.[9] Caglianone was drafted sixth overall by the Royals in the 2024 MLB Draft.
In his junior year in 2024, he hit a home run in 9 straight games including one against Jacksonville that traveled an estimated 516 ft, which is farther than the longest home run ever hit in major league history since Statcast began.[10] This also tied the record for most home runs hit in consecutive games at the NCAA level.[11] Caglianone surpassed Matt LaPorta for the most career home runs by a Florida player, with 75.
Professional career
On July 14, 2024, Caglianone was drafted by the Kansas City Royals with the 6th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.[12]
References
- ^ Rodriguez, Hector (July 21, 2020). "Five UF commits who could play in the Perfect Game All-American Classic". Rivals.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ^ Bortner, Sullivan (October 14, 2021). "Meet the Gators: Jac Caglianone". FloridaGators.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ^ Rodriguez, Hector (August 8, 2021). "Florida Gators 2021 Baseball Recruiting Class". Rivals.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ Weinrib, Ben (July 14, 2024). "'This dude really can do it all': How setbacks put Caglianone on path to stardom". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
- ^ Rudner, Jacob (February 6, 2023). "Florida baseball position group preview: Designated hitter". 247Sports.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ Hearn, Ashley (January 10, 2023). "Catching Up with Cags: Florida Baseball's Jac Caglianone". WRUF.com. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ Anderson, R.J. (February 26, 2023). "Florida's Jac Caglianone homers three times, strikes out six as two-way player maintains hot start to season". CBS Sports. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ Rudner, Jacob (March 3, 2023). "Caglianone named NCBWA National Player of the Month". 247Sports.com. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ Thompson, Edgar (May 6, 2023). "UF sluggers Jac Caglianone, Skylar Wallace setting records". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ Jacobson, Cole (April 16, 2024). "'Collegiate Ohtani' runs HR streak to 7 with MONSTER shot". MLB.com. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ Cahill, Teddy (2024-04-20). "Jac Caglianone Home Run Streak Ends At 9 Games, Ties NCAA Record". Baseball America. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ Rogers, Anne (July 14, 2024). "Two-way Caglianone 'too good to pass up' for Royals at No. 6". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Florida Gators bio