Jac Caglianone, the hard-hitting KC Phenom, wasn’t quite phenomenal Tuesday night, but his much-hyped major-league debut may have given his Kansas City Royals teammates a jolt.
While “Cags” went 0-for-5 – albeit while being robbed of an extra-base hit in his first at-bat – the team’s moribund bats came alive in a stirring 10-7 comeback win against the cross-state rival St. Louis Cardinals.
Having jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, the Royals were nonetheless down 7-2 when they exploded for six runs in the fifth inning and another two in the sixth. The bullpen took it from there, shutting the Cardinals down after the third inning.
Skeptics may have rightly wondered whether the 22-year-old Caglianone was ready for the majors. He was drafted No. 6 overall by the Royals less than a year ago, and his stint at Triple-A Omaha lasted all of 12 games and two weeks. He’d barely had a chance to get an apartment in town before being called up to KC.
“Royals officials wrestled with the question for weeks,” writes Anne Rogers, Kansas City Royals reporter for MLB.com. “The organization has historically erred on the side of caution when deciding when to promote top prospects, but this front office led by general manager J.J. Picollo has also been extremely convicted when making decisions surrounding the roster, whether that’s adding or subtracting from it.”
“Sometimes you just got to roll with it,” Rogers quoted Picollo as saying. “This is what we got. He gives us the best chance to win. And on top of that, we feel like he’s prepared for the moment.”
In the end, the moment didn’t appear too big for the 6-5, 250-pound Caglianone. Four of his outs were hit hard, and two required stellar defense to deny him.
“Going up for my first at-bat, I felt really comfortable,” Caglianone told reporters.
Anticipation for Caglianone’s debut had the word “historic” hanging in the air at St. Louis’ Busch Stadium – and the fact that the first ball he put into play had to be nabbed at the warning track with a flying leap may only foreshadow historic feats to come.
