Royals Prospect Unleashes Jaw-Dropping Home Run That Soars Onto Neighbor’s Roof—You Have to See It to Believe It!

It’s impossible not to wonder how soon Jac Caglianone will make his long-anticipated debut with the Kansas City Royals. The club’s top pick from the 2024 MLB Draft — selected sixth overall — and their premier prospect according to industry insiders at MLB.com and The Athletic, has been turning heads down at Double-A Northern Arkansas. Just recently, he hammered his fifth homer of the season with a monstrous shot that cleared the right-field fence and smacked onto the roof of the ballpark’s training center. Talk about making a statement!

Caglianone’s versatility—having handled first base and pitching duties at Florida—has pivoted entirely towards weaponizing his bat within the Royals’ system. And now, with his growing efforts in the right field corner, it looks like his path to The Show might be opening faster than many expected. With Kansas City’s current struggles up the middle and offensively, it’s clear there’s a vacuum crying out for a player like Jac. Vinnie Pasquantino is holding down first, but his offensive numbers leave plenty to be desired. The outfield, meanwhile, is desperately needing a spark, with the team’s production lagging far behind competitors.

The Royals’ offense, ranked near the bottom of the league in runs and homers, offers a tantalizing backdrop for Jac’s arrival. General manager J.J. Picollo has stressed patience, and rightfully so, as that seam of transition—from the infield and mound to the outfield—requires finesse. But with KC sitting in third place and pitching staunch enough to keep them in the hunt, the question comes down to this: how long can the Royals afford to wait before injecting some much-needed pop into their lineup?

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How much longer will it be before Jac Caglianone gets the call to the major leagues and adds his bat to the Kansas City Royals’ lineup?

The Royals’ No. 1 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft (No. 6 overall) and the organization’s top prospect as rated by MLB.com and The Athletic, Caglianone crushed his fifth home run of the season for Double-A Northern Arkansas on Saturday. The ball sailed high over the right-field fence, landing on the roof of the training facility behind the ballpark.

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Caglianone, who played first base and pitched at Florida, is concentrating on hitting in the Royals’ system and played his fourth game of the season in right field Saturday. That could be the key to him joining Kansas City’s lineup sooner rather than later, with the Royals already having Vinnie Pasquantino at first base.

Pasquantino is hitting just .181 with a .586 OPS after 33 games, but leads the Royals with five home runs and 21 RBI. So Caglianone likely wouldn’t replace him if and when he’s called up. But he might provide more of an upgrade in the outfield, where Kansas City also isn’t getting much offense.

Royals outfielders are batting a combined .207/.281/.287 with five homers and 31 RBI. Right fielder Hunter Renfroe is slashing .151/.231/.186 with no home runs and isn’t playing good defense either, credited with -6 Defensive Runs Saved and -1 Outs Above Average.

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Designated hitter could also be a possibility with the Royals getting a .649 OPS from the position. Michael Massey, Cavan Biggio and Freddy Fermin are among the hitters contributing little production there.

Kansas City’s offense could use a boost in general with a team batting average of .231 (10th in the American League) and .631 OPS (14th). The Royals also rank next to last in the league with 109 runs scored and last in MLB with 18 home runs.

In early April, Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said the organization didn’t want to rush Caglianone’s development and put him in the majors before he was ready. That may be especially true if he needs more time to acclimate to the outfield. So a promotion to Triple-A might be in order before he gets the call to Kansas City.

Yet with the Royals currently in third place in the AL Central, three games behind the Detroit Tigers at 18-16, the opportunity could be there to make a move in the division. The pitching is there with a 3.08 team ERA (fourth in MLB) and a .226 opponents’ batting average (sixth). With possible offensive help available in the minors, how long can the team wait to add some pop to its lineup?