Now that Wyatt Langford is officially a Texas Ranger, [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] is the face of the Florida Gators baseball team. But it won’t be long until Caglianone is negotiating a first-round deal of his own, according to MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo, who took an early look at the 2024 draft class on Tuesday.
Because the draft is almost a year away, Mayo only goes into the top 20 picks, using a draft order that is the reverse of the MLB standings. The draft lottery will determine the true order, which should look somewhat different.
Although some fans believe that Caglianone should be the first overall pick, he comes in at No. 8 to the Detroit Tigers on Mayo’s abbreviated mock draft.
“Caglianone came back from Tommy John surgery and showed off considerable two-way prowess as a sophomore at Florida in 2023, hitting 33 homers to lead the nation at the plate and striking out 10.5 per nine on the mound,” Mayo wrote. “There’s reason to believe there’s better command (6.6 BB/9) to come as he gets further removed from the surgery, with a fastball that touches 99 mph and potentially solid secondary offerings in his changeup and slider.”
Even if Caglianone doesn’t put up record power numbers next year, his bat strength is elite. Most scouts have accepted that and will be focusing on his arm in 2024. A 99 mph fastball is sexy, but locating is what matters. Walks were a problem this year, but he showed flashes of being able to control his fastball at a 90-95% velocity.
Control is the name of the game, and Caglianone only needs a bit of it to remain locked in as a weekend starter. If he can secure the No. 2 (or even No. 1) spot in the rotation, it will go a long way at the draft.
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