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Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why the buzz over Jac Caglianone? He once hit a ball 120.9 mph, showing the type of power the Royals desperately need
First things first: it's pronounced cag-lee-OHN. Not cag-lee-ah-NOHN. That's important to know because there's a strong chance Jac Caglianone is about to become a pretty big deal. The Royals' top prospect is set to make his Major League debut on Tuesday, just 324 days after Kansas City selected the University of Florida product with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Raised in Tampa, Caglianone attended H.B. Plant High School, the same program that produced Kyle Tucker and Pete Alonso. An elbow injury steered Caglianone to Florida, where he blossomed into one of the most dynamic college players of the century. During his draft year in Gainesville, 'Cags' slashed a ridiculous .419/.544/.875 with 35 long balls. Advertisement In the time since, Caglianone has rocketed up the minor league ladder while rocketing baseballs with elite exit velocities. After impressing in big league spring training, the 6-foot-5 left-hander posted a .322/.389/.593 line with 15 homers across 50 games split between Double-A and Triple-A. That all came as Caglianone, who played first and pitched in college, was learning the outfield for the first time. Here's everything you need to know about the young slugger. Jac Caglianone isn't shy about going after pitches out of the zone but he has shown much improvement in the minor leagues. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) (Diamond Images via Getty Images) Why is he a big deal? Put simply: he hits the baseball really, really, really hard. Earlier this minor league season, Caglianone laced an opposite field single at 120.9 miles per hour. That top-of-the-scales juice puts him in rarified air. Only six players in the Statcast Era (since 2017) have hit a ball that firmly: Giancarlo Stanton, Oneil Cruz, Gary Sánchez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ronald Acuña Jr. and Aaron Judge. Advertisement That's the offensive ceiling we're talking about here, which is remarkable considering that Caglianone was a full-time two-way player in college. So why isn't he the top prospect in baseball? Heading into spring training, public prospect lists, on average, had Caglianone slotted around No. 40. Granted, that was before Cags impressed in spring training and before he obliterated minor league pitching for the better part of two months. But still, this is a player with multiple warts. Coming out of college, Caglianone was considered to be a high-risk prospect, in large part because he chased so much. His out-of-zone swing rates at Florida were just below the 40 percent mark, a red-flag figure that had many teams concerned about how Caglianone would adjust to better pitching in pro ball. Advertisement But pro reps and a slight mechanical adjustment have allowed Cags to push that chase rate down to a still-high, but not panic-inducing mark of 34 percent. That would be around the 87th percentile of qualified MLB hitters this season, near some superstars (Bryce Harper, Corbin Carroll) and some chase-happy scufflers (Keibert Ruiz, Trevor Story). Another name in that range, young Rays starlet Junior Caminero, feels like an interesting comp for what Caglianone's offensive profile could look like this season Defense is the other major reason that Caglianone has not been considered a top-shelf prospect. When he wasn't pitching at Florida, Cags was DHing or playing first base. Because the Royals have something of a DH/1B log jam (Vinnie Pasquantino/Salvador Perez), Caglianone saw the majority of his time in the outfield this season and should be out in the grass a lot in the bigs. He's still a work in progress in both spots, but the bat has such potential and the Royals' offense has been so dreary that the club had no choice but to promote Cags right now. He's fast and athletic enough that Caglianone shouldn't be a total butcher in an outfield corner, but don't expect any Gold Gloves from him either. Hey, wait. Wasn't this guy a two-way player? He was! But not anymore, sadly. Advertisement Caglianone's two-way exploits at Florida helped him cross over into the larger baseball consciousness in a way that few college players do. For instance: In 2023, during his sophomore season, people started calling him 'Jac-tani' in a not-so-subtle reference to the Japanese superstar. Not many living beings can throw a baseball 99 miles per hour with their left hand; only 24 big leaguers have done that since the start of 2024. Even fewer can hit a baseball 119 miles per hour; only four souls — Cruz, Stanton, Guerrero Jr and Shohei Ohtani — have done so over that same span. Caglianone was, preposterously, doing both. As a college student. And yet, as the Gator superstar continued to drop jaws on both sides of the ball during his junior year, talent evaluators were beginning to realize that Caglianone's pro future was almost certainly going to be in the batter's box. The eye-popping velocity led to an impressive dossier of pitching highlights, yes, but the rest of his on-mound profile — secondary stuff, repeatability, command, control, fastball shape — left much to be desired. Advertisement So even though the Royals announced Caglianone as a two-way player when they selected him last July, it was an open secret in the industry that Kansas City would develop him exclusively as a hitter. So far, that's paid off big time. Jac Caglianone brought the heat on the mound at Florida but his arsenal wasn't diverse enough to seriously consider him a two-way player in MLB. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) Why'd the Royals promote him now? Because they can't hit. Coming off an invigorating postseason campaign in 2024, this year's Royals have stagnated somewhat. It's been more treading water than massive cannonballs off the high dive as Kansas City's offense ranks near the bottom in most offensive categories. The Royals are last in home runs, last in walk rate, third to last in runs scored and fifth to last in OPS. Advertisement Only two hitters — reigning MVP runner-up Bobby Witt Jr. and third baseman Maikel Garcia — have an OPS+ above league average. Pasquantino has been much better recently after a rough start, but all the secondary pieces like Michael Massey, Jonathan India and Drew Waters have underwhelmed. Most concerning has been the steep fall-off from franchise icon Salvador Perez, who has gone from an All-Star a year ago to a bottom-20 qualified hitter in baseball. The Royals' stellar pitching and defense has kept this team in the mix. Heading into play on June 3, they are 31-29, one game out of a wild-card spot. But this lineup needs a jolt. Caglianone should help.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jac Caglianone gets called up & Shohei Ohtani falls asleep mid-World Series rematch
Could the best hitter on the Kansas City Royals have been sitting in the minor leagues this season? Everyone is about to find out as one of the top prospects in baseball, Jac Caglianone, gets the call. Jake and Jordan reflect on his impressive collegiate career and discuss how it may translate in the majors. Advertisement Even some of the best athletes in the world get sleepy at work. Shohei Ohtani was caught falling asleep in the dugout during a World Series rematch vs. the New York Yankees this weekend. Jake, who may or may not have slept through his alarm before recording this episode, has some (hypocritical?) thoughts on what happened in LA. A full weekend of baseball with sweeps, mops and even some college drama occurred. The guys give a full recap on all that happened in the world of baseball. Start off your week with the Baseball Bar-B-Cast Jac Caglianone gets called up Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) (1:51) - How Sweep It Is (2:46) - Blue Jays mop A's (10:18) - Brewers sweep Phillies Advertisement (20:02) - Mets sweep Rockies (24:11) - Orioles sweep White Sox (30:44) - Tigers over Royals (32:40) - Jac Calgianone called up (37:35) - Mariners over Twins (41:07) - Nats over Diamonbacks (44:57) - Dodgers over Yankees (51:48) - Shohei falls asleep (55:02) - Turbo Mode (1:05:18) - College Baseball (1:09:24) - Lou Gehrig Day Follow the show on X at @CespedesBBQ Follow Jake @Jake_Mintz Follow Jordan @J_Shusterman_ 🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former All-Star Luis Robert Jr. on trade value amid sub-.200 season: 'Don't think anyone is going to take a chance on me'
Luis Robert Jr. has seen better days at the plate. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) In peak form, Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. would be a prime target on the trade market. Robert is far from peak form. Even he doubts his trade value ahead of MLB's July 31 trade deadline. Advertisement The 27-year-old former All-Star who's a holdover from Chicago's brief window of contention in 2020 and 2021 addressed his trade value on Tuesday in an interview with Scott Merkin. "Right now as my season is going, I don't think anyone is going to take a chance on me," Robert told Merkin. That's not going to help the White Sox in their quest to load up on prospects. But it's not like Robert is giving away any secrets. A cursory glance at his stats tells the story. Robert is slashing a paltry .183/.281/.308 this season with five home runs and 17 RBI. His MLB-best 17 stolen bases are a testament to his athleticism and upside when he does manage to get on base. Advertisement But getting on base has been a challenge since Robert's All-Star campaign in 2023. Robert slashed .264/.315/.542 that season with 38 home runs, 80 RBI and 20 stolen bases in a season that earned him a Silver Slugger award and some MVP votes. It marked the peak of the form that he flashed as a rookie in 2020 while winning a Gold Glove and finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting. Robert was a strong contributor that season and the next as the White Sox made the playoffs. He stepped up his performance in the playoffs with a .393/.452/.500 slash line in seven playoff games across 2020 and 2021 postseasons and appeared to be a core player for a young team with a bright future. Did White Sox miss window to trade Robert? But Chicago's future quickly crumbled amid an exodus of young talent. The White Sox finished 81-81 in 2023 and fell to 61-101 during Robert's All-Star campaign. Advertisement In hindsight, that was the time for the White Sox to trade Robert. There was no reason for Chicago to retain a 25-year-old All-Star on a franchise in freefall with a long road back to contention. The White Sox followed up 2023 with 41-121 campaign in 2024 that's by some metrics the worst in the modern history of baseball. And Robert's value tanked alongside his team's. His slash line plummeted to .224/.278/.379 in 2024 before this season's dip below the Mendoza Line. Now the White Sox are bad, and so is Robert's performance. And there's little reason for Chicago to hope that a team will part with any prospects of value for Robert as long as his struggles continue. But if he manages to turn a corner, there's a chance at least one team will be willing to gamble on a return to form. Just don't expect the White Sox to land a haul in return.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dodgers call up catcher Dalton Rushing, designate Austin Barnes for assignment
Over four minor-league season, Dalton Rushing slugged his way through the Dodgers farm system by batting .277 with 54 home runs, 185 RBIs and a .931 OPS. (Diamond Images/) The Dodgers are making a major midseason shuffle in their roster. The team is calling up top prospect Dalton Rushing, and designating longtime backup catcher Austin Barnes for assignment, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly. Advertisement It's no surprise that Rushing, a 2022 second-round pick out of Louisville, is getting a crack at the majors. Over four minor-league season, he slugged his way through the farm system by batting .277 with 54 home runs, 185 RBIs and a .931 OPS. Even this spring, manager Dave Roberts said Rushing's bat was big-league ready. But the team's decision to effectively part ways with Barnes represents a surprise decision. Read more: Dodgers prospect Dalton Rushing sowing seeds of trust as he awaits his MLB debut Barnes, 35, was the longest-tenured position player on the roster. He was a two-time World Series champion — behind the plate for their drought-snapping 2020 title — and was in the midst of his 11th season with the team, after they picked up his $3.5 million club option this offseason. Barnes, who had been reduced to full-time back-up duty ever since Will Smith's emergence five years ago, was batting only .214 this season. This is a developing story and will be updated. Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NFL to stage multiple Saturday games in December that compete with College Football Playoff
First it came for the NBA on Christmas. Now, for a second straight year, the NFL is taking on the College Football Playoff. Fox Sports announced on Monday that it will broadcast two games on Saturday, Dec. 20 — an NFC East clash between the Commanders and Eagles followed by an NFC North matchup between the Packers and Bears. Advertisement Times weren't announced. But one thing is certain. The games will compete for viewers' eyeballs with the College Football Playoff. The 2025 season will mark the second year of the expanded CFP to 12 teams. That means a first round of four games featuring the eight teams that don't earn a bye into the quarterfinals. One of those games will be played on Friday, Dec. 19. The other three are scheduled for Dec. 20. Like the NFL's Dec. 20 plans, the times of those games hasn't been set. But three consecutive college football games makes for an all-day affair that will go up against the NFL matchups that are certainly being scheduled as potential high-stakes games in the NFC playoff race. There will be a lot of meaningful football for viewers to choose from. And, as its wont to do, the NFL is showing little regard for clashes with the competition. NFL's evolving stance on competing with NCAA, NBA The NFL has been doing this for years in regard to the NBA. For decades, Christmas was almost strictly the U.S. sports turf of the NBA, which stages a slate of games on the holiday as one of the marquee days on its calendar. The NFL is king has has no qualms about getting in the way of the competition. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) (Diamond Images via Getty Images) If Christmas fell on a Sunday, the NFL would occasionally schedule a regular season game on the holiday. And before the expansion of the league's regular season schedule past the holiday, the NFL for the most part avoided scheduling playoff games on Christmas. In those instances, playoff games would be played on Saturday and Monday. Advertisement That all changed in 2020, when the NFL scheduled the Vikings and Saints to play on Christmas. And that wasn't even a Sunday. That year, Christmas fell on a Friday. Ever since, the league has continued to expand its Christmas footprint, with at least two games scheduled for Christmas regardless of the day of the week. Now the league's taking the same approach with college football. The NFL has long steered clear of Saturdays during the college football regular season. But with the stakes at their highest, the league is not ceding late-December Saturdays to the CFP. Why does the NFL do this? Because it can, of course. The NFL is king. And it knows that viewers are going to tune in no matter the conflict with other sports or the concept of spending time with friends and family on holidays not in front of a TV. Advertisement With the expansion of the league's broadcast and streaming partners and the higher stakes and paydays that come with those partnerships, this is the new norm. The good news for the CFP? Last year wasn't a wash despite the competition from the NFL. Last year's Ravens-Steelers and Texans-Chiefs matchups won the ratings battle on Dec. 21 with an average of 15.4-plus million viewers each. The four CFP games — one on Friday and three on Saturday — averaged 10.6 million average viewers in a strong showing in the first year of the format. But the two games that went head to head with the NFL brought up the rear. Ratings for Clemson-Texas (8.6 million) and Penn State-SMU (6.4 million) paled in comparison to the Friday (Notre Dame-Indiana, 13.4 million) and Saturday night (Ohio State-Tennessee, 14.3 million) games that didn't go up against the NFL.
