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Jac Caglianone selected in first round of 2024 MLB Draft
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Jac Caglianone has a new team after three seasons of wearing orange and blue. The Florida superstar did not have to wait long to hear his name called in Sunday’s MLB Draft. Caglianone was selected No. 6 overall by the Kansas City Royals.
Caglianone was nicknamed “Jactani” for his 2-way contributions at Florida. As a sophomore and junior Caglianone was a weekend starter, helping Florida to back-to-back College World Series.
With the sixth pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, we have selected 1B/LHP Jac Caglianone from the University of Florida. pic.twitter.com/Dumobb8IHl
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) July 14, 2024
Caglianone’s career numbers on the mound (12-6, 4.55 ERA, 148.1 IP, 170 K) were solid for the college game. He won the John Olerud Award for 2-way player of the year in 2024, but his pitching days are likely over.
Caglianone is a first-round draft pick because of his bat. Plenty of SEC pitchers (and their coaches) are happy to see Caglianone leave Gainesville.
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Over 3 college seasons, Caglianone played in 165 games. He finished as Florida’s all-time home run leader with 75 homers, topping Gator great Matt LaPorta’s mark. More than just a home-run hitter, Caglianone slashed .355/.447/.760, collecting 189 RBIs.
Caglianone was a big recruiting get for Kevin O’Sullivan. Out of Tampa Plant, Caglianone was rated the No. 1 first baseman, No. 4 left-handed pitcher and No. 38 prospect overall by Perfect Game.
One reason Caglianone spent three years in Gainesville instead of beginning his pro career in 2021 is that he learned weeks before the draft that he needed Tommy John surgery.
Interestingly enough, Caglianone initially planned to redshirt in 2022, giving him the option for a potential 5-season college career. O’Sullivan, however, figured that was not likely.
The Florida coach asked Caglianone to consider burning his redshirt to be a designated hitter in the final months of the season. Caglianone agreed, and the rest is Florida baseball history.
Caglianone would make his first start on April 24, 2022, against Tennessee. Fittingly, Caglianone’s first career hit was a home run.
Caglianone would finish his limited 2022 season slashing .288/.339/.548 with 7 home runs, 6 doubles, 27 RBIs and 9 runs scored over 104 at-bats. He would be named to the 2022 SEC All-Tournament Team and NCAA Gainesville Regional All-Tournament Team.
As a sophomore, Caglianone established himself as a superstar, rewriting record books.
Starting all 71 games, Caglianone slashed .323/.389/.739 in 2023. He hit 33 home runs, resetting the NCAA’s BBCOR record. (Georgia’s Charlie Condon is the new record holder with 37 home runs in 2024).
In addition to the NCAA record, Caglianone set Florida single-season records in home runs (33), RBI (90) and total bases (208).
In 2024, Caglianone showed that he is truly a complete hitter.
In a season in which Florida played 5 fewer games and Caglianone’s at-bats decreased from 282 to 248, he bested his own record-breaking season with 35 homers in 2024. He posted career-highs in batting average (.419), on-base percentage (.544) and slugging percentage (.875).
Though Florida came up short of its ultimate goal, Caglianone made it a special postseason for the Gators.
In the NCAA Tournament, Caglianone was 16-of-36, good for a .444 average, with 6 home runs, 16 runs scored, 4 doubles and 14 RBIs. Missing from his batting average are 17 walks, including the times he was walked intentionally.
Caglianone’s homer-heavy highlight reel from 2024 is an enjoyable watch who have followed him at Florida and new fans ready to follow his professional career.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
