Jac Caglianone heard his name called at Cowtown Coliseum in Ft. Worth, Texas, on Sunday night when the Kansas City Royals made him the sixth overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft.
The two-way star was a projected top-five pick coming into the evening but his stock slipped ever so slightly as he fell just outside of the predicted range. Nonetheless, he is expected to be a big-league contributor — possibly both as a slugger and a hurler.
CBS Sports writer R.J. Anderson followed the first round of the draft and made a note of the former Gators standout’s selection.
“Caglianone is the most exciting player in the class. He has massive strength from the left side and some special bat-to-ball skills,” Anderson notes. “At the same time, an elevated chase rate — and a history of zone-management issues — make this pick riskier than it may appear.”
Because of the risk, Anderson gives the draft pick a B grade.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.