
The Royals are calling up top prospect Jac Caglianone, a person familiar with the move tells the AP
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals are calling up top prospect Jac Caglianone, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press, and the slugging first baseman and outfielder could make his debut Tuesday night in St. Louis.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Monday because the move had not been announced. The Royals will have to make a corresponding roster move once Caglianone is officially added to the 40-man roster.
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Brad and Angie's dance-loving daughter is forging her own path with support from close friend Keoni
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Cam Smith's meteoric rise to the majors: A story of dedication and discipline
HOUSTON (AP) — When Cam Smith made his MLB debut on opening day for the Houston Astros, it was the third-fastest that someone had gone from the draft to the majors. Selected 14th overall by the Cubs in last year's draft, Smith played just 32 minor league games, including five at Double-A, before moving to the big leagues. Behind the rookie's meteoric ascent was years of work, preparation and planning coupled with a team working behind the scenes to help him reach the majors in near record time. His mother muses about him being 'too serious.' His hitting coach Aaron Capista says that he's 'built different.' Jason Romano, his longtime adviser and current agent at Excel Sports Management, says that he's unlike anyone he's ever known. Teammate Mauricio Dubon proclaims: 'He's gonna be a big star in the big leagues.' Smith routinely arrives at the ballpark more than six hours before night games, has never had a sip of alcohol and says he hasn't even tried anything with caffeine. 'Everybody's really good at this level,' he explained. 'So, I've got to do something different to get an edge.' 'I don't want to have to rely on anything,' he said. 'I want to keep life as simple as I can." His mother, Stephanie Hocza, encouraged him to let loose in high school and maybe go to a party or two. 'I would tell him he was too serious and he needed to just have a little fun and not just be about baseball,' she said. 'But he really did not take my advice.' Smith, who was part of the trade that sent Kyle Tucker to Chicago, has heated up after a slow start and hit .307 in May to bring his season average entering Tuesday to .255 with three homers, eight doubles and 17 RBIs in 46 games. A performance made more impressive considering the 22-year-old was still playing for Florida State at this time last year. Many in the Astros organization rave about Smith's maturity. That could be traced back to a childhood where he had to grow up fast being raised by a single mother who often worked long hours to keep the family afloat. In middle school, Smith would come home from school and do homework before walking to a grocery store where he'd often buy a sub sandwich for dinner while Hocza worked until 10 p.m. most nights as a cook at a Lake Worth, Florida, bingo hall. 'He had to mature because he had to be responsible for his things,' Hocza said. 'I couldn't be there every night like most parents.' Though it was difficult at the time, Hocza now sees those early days with her son as a blessing. 'The best thing to do for your kids is make them figure it out,' she said. 'It was kind of forced upon him, but he definitely made the most of it and it turned him into who he is.' Baseball wasn't a first love for Smith, but it stuck eventually Smith's grandmother, Pattie Thomas, a lifelong Cubs fan, signed him up for T-ball when he was just 5 years old. 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'When you get the response and the feedback of someone like Cam, you quickly learn that he's built different, he's wired different,' Capista said. 'It's so cliche to say you want to be great ... but when you hear it and you get to know someone like Cam, you quickly learn that he means it, and he does the work, he does the stuff in the background that no one sees.' Before spring training Smith visited the Maven Baseball Lab, where they helped him refine his swing path so he could take another step forward. 'I could see a video that my bat was getting pretty flat early before I would go to swing and I'm just glad I had somebody like them to explain it to me,' he said. 'Break it down like: 'Hey, you're dumping the water out of the cup too early. Let's keep that upright a little longer.'' After the trade to Houston, Smith quickly impressed. He hit .342 with four homers and 11 RBIs this spring while navigating the move from third base to right field to make the opening day roster. 'He was not overwhelmed by the spots we put him in,' manager Joe Espada said. 'He's mentally tough. He can deal with the obstacles and ups and downs of a season.' Now that Smith's made it to the majors, he's hoping to inspire others like him to do it. Smith, whose mother is white and father is Black, hopes to get more Black kids involved in the game. 'I didn't really have somebody to look up to or who was able to talk to me about being African American and playing baseball,' he said. 'So, I wanted to be that influence on other young players to inspire them to know that it's possible and to know that they can do it.' He doesn't have a relationship with his father, but he has connected with his paternal grandmother, an aunt and other relatives on that side of the family in recent years. His mother said not knowing a lot about them as a child spurred him to learn more about his culture and who he was. 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USA Today
28 minutes ago
- USA Today
2025 MLB draft prospects: Top college players in NCAA baseball tournament
2025 MLB draft prospects: Top college players in NCAA baseball tournament Show Caption Hide Caption UNC baseball's Gavin Gallaher, Tar Heels talk winning Chapel Hill Regional Following UNC baseball's win vs. Oklahoma in the finale of the Chapel Hill Regional, Gavin Gallaher and the Tar Heels broke down the clincher. Sixteen teams remain in the NCAA baseball tournament, with plenty of high-end talent remaining in contention. Players will have the chance to become household names in the coming weeks, looking to make one last impression before the 2025 MLB Draft on July 13. REQUIRED READING: College baseball tournament super regionals: Ranking the 16 teams left in the field The 2025 class is loaded with college pitchers near the top of the best available board, with LSU's Kade Anderson, Florida State's Jamie Arnold and Tennessee's Liam Doyle all vying for a CWS berth. Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette is also among the top projected players in the class, with the 6-foot-5 slugger hoping to lead the Beavers back to the CWS. MLB Pipelines' top two prospects are Stillwater High School's Ethan Holliday, the son of Matt Holliday and brother of former No. 1 overall pick Jackson Holliday, and right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez, who attends Corona High School in California. Here's a look at the top MLB draft prospects remaining as college baseball prepares for super regional action: Top MLB draft prospects in super regionals Note: This section only includes college players eligible for the MLB draft that are still alive in the NCAA tournament. 1. LHP Kade Anderson, LSU One of a trio of college left-handed pitchers available in 2025, LSU ace Kade Anderson ranks second nationally in strikeouts (156) and fifth in innings pitched (96) this season. The draft-eligible sophomore has a wide arsenal and limits walks, making him a seemingly polished option for MLB teams. Anderson tossed seven shutout innings with 11 strikeouts in his lone Baton Rouge Regional outing and will look to continue his hot streak against West Virginia in the super regionals. 2. LHP Liam Doyle, Tennessee Tennessee left-hander Liam Doyle burst onto the scene as perhaps the best pitcher in college baseball this season after transferring from Ole Miss. Doyle finished the 2024 season with a 5.73 ERA. One of three finalists for the Golden Spikes Award this season, Doyle took his game to a new level with the Vols, with 158 strikeouts in 92 innings heading into super regionals, along with a 2.84 ERA. The SEC Pitcher of the Year in 2025, Doyle will be near the top of the draft boards, alongside Anderson and Jamie Arnold. His best offering is his fastball, which is a 70-grade pitch, according to MLB Pipeline. 3. LHP Jamie Arnold, Florida State Florida State's Jamie Arnold opened the 2025 season as the top-ranked college pitcher, and hasn't done much to change that sentiment with the MLB draft just over a month away. Arnold hasn't been quite as good as he was in 2024 when he finished the season with a 2.98 ERA in 105 2/3 innings, but he has still been one of the top arms in the country. Arnold has a 3.12 ERA with 110 strikeouts in 78 innings this season. Arnold, Anderson and Doyle are all expected to be drafted around the same range of picks, with team preference likely being the differentiating factor between each left-hander pitcher. 4. SS Aiva Arquette, Oregon State The top-ranked college position player in 2025, Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette could hear his name called early on due to his unique profile. Arquette stands 6-foot-5 but could potentially stick at shortstop at the pro level. His bat is his top attraction, though, as he's hitting .352 this season with 18 home runs and 65 RBIs for No. 8 Oregon State. The former Washington transfer was drafted in the 18th round out of high school by the Arizona Diamondbacks, which shows he has been on MLB draft radars for a few years now. Arquette is one of the best athletes in the 2025 MLB Draft and could development into a true five-tool player one day. 5. 2B Gavin Kilen, Tennessee Tennessee infielder Gavin Kilen transferred to the Vols from Louisville ahead of the 2025 season, and established himself as one of the best hitters in the SEC. Kilen projects as a contact-over-power hitter as a professional, although he slugged 15 home runs in 2025, six more than his 2024 mark at Louisville. Kilen batted .363 with a .686 slugging percentage in the SEC, which is a feat in itself. Kilen was selected in the 13th round by the Boston Red Sox in the 2022 MLB Draft out of high school, with MLB Pipeline projecting him as a high-floor player that can field and hit for average one day. 6. OF Brendan Summerhill, Arizona Brendan Summerhill stands 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, but hasn't shown a ton of power in the college ranks yet. However, he supplements that with a knack to get on base (.492 OBP in 2025) and strong contact numbers (.370 batting average this season). Summerhill can run and field and could grow into more power with a few tweaks at the next level, although he was already one of the best players in the Cape Cod Summer League prior to the 2025 season. MLB Pipeline compares Summerhill to Jake McCarthy, who has turned into a valuable outfielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks. 7. C Luke Stevenson, North Carolina Luke Stevenson likely could've gone in the top five rounds as a high schooler in 2023, but he opted to attend school at North Carolina. Stevenson is now the consensus top-ranked catcher in the 2025 MLB Draft class and hit for lots of power in 2025. The draft-eligible sophomore hit .254/.422/.555 this season with 18 home runs, and also boasts a strong arm from behind home plate. He adds little-to-no value on the basepaths and will need to cut down on his chase rate in future seasons, however. 8. OF/C Ike Irish, Auburn Ike Irish was a phenomenal hitter in the SEC this season, batting .362 with 18 home runs and 57 RBIs with a whopping .700 slugging percentage. Irish fractured his scapula in March, mostly limiting him to playing in the outfield instead of catcher, his natural position. MLB Pipeline projects Irish to potential develop into an average defender at catcher, but could also stick in a corner outfield spot at the professional level. 9. SS Wehiwa Aloy, Arkansas The SEC Player of the Year in 2025, Aloy is also a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, which is essentially the Heisman Trophy of college baseball. The 6-foot-2 shortstop started his career at Sacramento State in 2022 before transferring to Arkansas, where he developed into one of the top players in college baseball. Aloy is hitting .355 this season with 20 home runs and 64 RBIs, facing some of the nation's top pitchers in the SEC. Aloy has impressive raw power for a middle infielder, and he has the tools to stay at shortstop going forward. 10. 1B/3B Andrew Fischer, Tennessee Another first-year transfer from Ole Miss, Andrew Fischer joined Liam Doyle at Tennessee for the 2025 season. Fischer was an All-SEC second team selection in 2024 with the Rebels after slugging 20 home runs, and followed up that season with a .343 batting average and 24 home runs with the Vols this season. Fischer has mostly played first base this season after starting most of his games at third base at Ole Miss. Fischer can really hit but is going to have to provide a lot of value at the plate to find a role in the MLB. Still, his batting numbers speak to themselves, and he's expected to be a fringe first-round pick in 2025.