For the second year in a row, Florida’s [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] is the Perfect Game Two-Way Player of the Year, following an official announcement on Tuesday.
“Caglianone has run away with this award and (he) took things to another level with his comprehensive skillset,” national crosschecker Vincent Cervino said. “The 6-5/250 physically imposing lefty from Tampa, FL refined his game this year by improving his bat head accuracy and dialing in the strike zone on the mound.”
Caglianone matched his power numbers from a year ago and refined the other metrics scouts had questions about.
“Heading to the College World Series, he is batting .411 with 33 home runs and 68 RBI while slugging .860, reaching base over 50% of his at-bats and accumulating an OPS of 1.392 so far.”
Cervino noted that Caglianone’s improved pitch selection is one of the biggest reasons for his success this year. His 52-to-25 strikeout-to-walk ratio is proof that Caglianone’s eye has refined, and his splits against lefties aren’t bad considering the historical trend.
There’s also the pitching…
“On the mound, he is currently 5-2 in his 15 starts with a 4.71 ERA and limited opponents to a .225 batting average. While he can still run the fastball into the upper-90s, he dialed things back a bit and put more value on location and secondary offering this year. In 72.2 IP so far, he has a strikeout-to-walk ration of 82:48 and has minimized damage by blending his pitches at a high level.”
Caglianone’s success as a pitcher was always going to come when he learned to control his fastball. It’s no surprise that a 94-mph fastball is easier to control than one coming in just shy of triple digits, and most college hitters struggle with the mid-90s.
This might be the first of several two-way awards won by Caglianone as the college baseball season draws to a close. The College Baseball Foundation will announce the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award on June 18.
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