ChompTalk.com

Florida superstar Jac Caglianone was selected No. 6 overall by the Kansas City Royals in Sunday’s MLB Draft.

Caglianone set numerous program records including the all-time home run mark, with 75. His 2024 campaign will go down as one of, if not the the top all-around year in Gators baseball history.

Caglianone entered college following Tommy John surgery and was thought to redshirt his first year at UF. However, with the Florida lineup struggling, he and head coach Kevin O’Sullivan decided to let Caglianone DH because of his power potential. In 28 games as a freshman, the Tampa native slugged seven homers and hit .289. He struck out 21 times and only walked five times in 115 plate appearances.

As a sophomore, Caglianone found a brand new stride. At the plate, he hit a BBCOR-era record 33 home runs and 90 RBI. He hit .323 at the plate and struck out 58 times while walking just 17 times. Caglianone led the Gators to the final game of the national championship series. Additionally, he went 7-4 on the mound with a 4.34 ERA over 74.2 innings.

In 2024, Caglianone was superior to his record setting 2023 season by nearly every metric. He smacked 35 home runs, including a 516-foot moon shot over the scoreboard at Condron Family Ballpark. He reached base at an incredible .544% rate and recorded a batting average of .419 for the season. Most important, Cags cut down his strikeouts to just 26. He also pitched to a 5-2 record with a 4.76 ERA and played spectacular defense at first base.

The sixth overall pick is slotted for $7,213,800. The Royals have a bonus pool of just over $13 million. In 2023, all but one of the prospects selected in the top ten rounds signed with their respective teams.

Caglianone becomes Florida’s 221st individual selected in the draft and the 106th since head coach Kevin O’Sullivan took over.