Jac
Caglianone

As much good fortune as I’ve had this season watching pitchers excel like Hagen Smith (Arkansas) in Week Two and Ryan Johnson (DBU) in Week Six, Caglianone joined Bryce Cunningham on this scouting trip as prospects who I want to see pitch again this season. Caglianone was off his “A” game at Missouri, throwing just 1.1 innings on 50 pitches. Of those, just 25 were for strikes. His arm action is much shorter than last season, but on this look it did appear a hair longer than what I saw on video earlier this spring. His direction to the plate was also inconsistent. Missouri batted around in the first, scoring four runs on three hits and three walks on 36 pitches. He worked just one more out into the second before being removed. Granted a couple hits were dropped popups caused by the high winds, but overall it was not an outing to get excited about. His normally hard to hit fastball was very hittable when thrown in the zone and ranged 92-95 mph. It’s a pitch that opponents have batted just .167 against this season with a whiff rate of 34.7% (99th percentile). Cags was also not able to get to his good 79-81 mph changeup, the one thrown with fastball arm speed and resulting in a 49.3% whiff rate (92nd percentile). In the batter’s box Caglianone sets up with an extra wide stance. This setup becomes even more spread with two strikes when he literally has his back foot touching the back line of the batter’s box and his front foot almost touching the front line of the box. On Saturday he did not have much of a plan at the plate during his first two at-bats. His first at-bat was first pitch swinging at an off speed for a 4-6-3 DP. His second at-bat was a groundout to end the third, once again on questionable pitch selection which is my single greatest concern with him moving forward as a hitter. Too often he is just too overaggressive to maximize his production. His chase rate of 34.3% is an improvement from last year’s 39.1%, but it’s in the 1st percentile of college hitters. Unlike many of his Gator teammates who have taken a dive offensively in the past few weeks, Jac continues to produce. His third at-bat on Saturday was an absolute no-doubter of a home run. He crushed it 382’ at 118 mph into a stiff wind. An exit velo like that translates to 80-grade raw power at the Major League level. Caglianone homered again on Sunday against Missouri and again on Tuesday in Florida State’s drubbing of the Gators. Overall, he has homered in 8 of his last 11 games while posting a season slash of .397/.484/.802. He is striking out in just 9.2% of his plate appearances, down from 18.2% last season and he’s walked (18) and homered (17) more than he’s struck out (14). Still presiding over 1-1 in our prospect rankings, Cags has improved his “weakness” in the batter’s box, and until his last outing on the mound had also improved his control on the mound. Whether he is selected No. 1 overall or drops a few spots, there’s no doubt he’s a top of the first round talent.

USA CNT: Our current leader for No. 1 overall in the 2024 draft, Caglianone has real potential for two-way stardom in MLB. He is continually compared to Shohei Ohtani, and for good reason. At 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, Caglianone touches 99 mph from the left side, and regularly hits tape measure moonshots with exit velocities in excess of 110 mph. After swatting seven home runs as a freshman in 2021, he led all of college baseball with 33 home runs this season. Much was due to an increase in his fly ball rate from 33% to 43%. On the mound, he struck out 87 in 74 innings, and was often dominant when he was throwing strikes, which wasn’t always a guarantee. This summer, he was a position player only for the CNT. On a team full of power bats, Caglianone stands out above the rest for the way the ball explodes off his bat, particularly to the pull side. There is some swing and miss in his game and over time, he may need to narrow up his stance at the plate, as he stands fairly spread out at present. Caglianone presents a big target at first base that makes overthrowing him almost impossible, but he’s also a much more nimble defender at the position than you might think given his extra-large frame. Though he was late to arrive to the CNT due to Florida’s deep run in the College World Series, he was lauded by those around the team for the way he fit in seamlessly with his teammates who had been together for a while already.

Uncommitted. Currently stands at 6-foot-5, 168 pounds with a long, loose, projectable frame. Plenty of room to fill out. Stood out offensively throughout the weekend where he showed an advanced approach from the left side with quick hands, and above average bat speed through the zone. Gap-to-gap power potential. At times can get a little long with his swing, but when he stays direct to the ball, he barrels it up. During gameplay he showed patience and the ability to sit back on the breaking ball which is shown in the video below, driving the ball over the centerfielder’s head for a double. With the frame and the approach he shows at the plate, expect to see several jumps in gap-to-gap power from Caglianone Jr.