The Kansas City Royalsare calling up their not-so-secret weapon, Jac Caglianone, a 22-year-old power-hitting phenom who’s been obliterating minor league pitching and setting stat sheets ablaze.
When ESPN dropped the bombshell report, Patrick Mahomes reposted the news with a GIF from The Office, the one with Steve Carell screaming: “Oh my god, it’s happening.
Caglianone‘s ascent is no ordinary call-up. He’s mashed 15 home runs with a .322/.389/.593 slash line and 56 RBIs over just 50 games split between Double-A and Triple-A.
Mahomes’ enthusiasm
Mahomes, the youngest-ever Royals part-owner since his $12 million investment in 2020, wasn’t just observing.
To understand Mahomes‘ enthusiasm, you have to understand where he comes from. His roots run through the diamond as much as the football field. The son of longtime MLB pitcher Pat Mahomes, Patrick was raised on sunflower seeds and bullpen chatter.
He was a baseball prodigy himself, throwing in the low 90s during high school and even tossing a no-hitter against a team that featured future MLB flamethrower Michael Kopech.
He could’ve gone pro. The Detroit Tigers even drafted him in 2014. But Mahomes chose Texas Tech and took a detour to football immortality. Still, baseball never left him. When he bought into the Royals, it wasn’t a publicity stunt. It was personal. A way to go all-in on Kansas City-not just on the field, but in the city that has embraced him as one of its own.
Caglianone brings college stats that feel more PlayStation than NCAA: nine consecutive games with a home run, a 491-foot blast that redefined “moon shot,” and 75 total bombs in a University of Florida uniform. He’s a baseball cheat code waiting to be unleashed at The K.
The Royals‘ resurgence isn’t just potential anymore. They won 86 games in 2024, snapping a years-long playoff drought and pushing the Yankees hard in the ALDS.
Bobby Witt Jr. became a full-blown superstar, batting .332 with a 9.6 WAR. Salvador Perez still rakes. And the pitching? Flat-out dominant, with Kris Bubic’s 1.45 ERA leading a staff that currently owns the lowest ERA in baseball.
Read the full article here
