Jac Caglianone drafted No. 6 overall by Kansas City Royals
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Former Florida Gators first baseman and pitcher Jac Caglianone was selected No. 6 overall to the Kansas City Royals in the 2024 MLB Draft. Caglianone is one of the highest Florida Gators ever selected in the MLB Draft.
Starting all 66 games for the Gators this season, Caglianone led the Gators in every slash category (.419/.544/.875) in addition to a program-record 35 home runs and 104 hits to go along with 83 runs, 72 RBI, 217 total bases and a 1.419 OPS. He struck out 32 fewer times (26) than he has walked (58) including 31 intentional free passes. This year alone, Caglianone tied both the NCAA record for most consecutive games with a home run (nine) and the program mark for longest hitting streak (30).
On the mound, the Tampa, Fla. native paced the Orange & Blue with 16 starts and 73 2/3 innings pitched. His 4.76 ERA ranked second and his .225 batting average against was tops among qualified UF hurlers, powering Caglianone to a 5-2 record.
Caglianone’s performance helped power the Orange & Blue to the College World Series Semifinals for the second straight season. He also concluded his UF career as the all-time program record holder in home runs (75).
He was a consensus First Team All-American and the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year.
Highest drafted players in program history
1. 2012: C Mike Zunino – Round 1, Pick 3 (Seattle Mariners)
2. 2023: OF Wyatt Langford– Round 1, Pick 4 (Texas Rangers)
3. 2018: 3B Jonathan India – Round 1, Pick 5 (Cincinnati Reds)
T4. 1991: RHP John Burke – Round 1, Pick 6 (Houston Astros)
T4. 2016: LHP A.J. Puk – Round 1, Pick 6 (Oakland Athletics)
6. 2007: 1B Matt LaPorta – Round 1, Pick 7 (Milwaukee Brewers)
T7. 2017: RHP Alex Faedo – Round 1, Pick 18 (Detroit Tigers)
T7. 2018: RHP Brady Singer – Round 1, Pick 18 (Kansas City Royals)
T9. 2013: RHP Jonathon Crawford – Round 1, Pick 20 (Detroit Tigers)
T9. 2015: SS Richie Martin – Round 1, Pick 20 (Oakland Athletics)
11. 2023: RHP Hurston Waldrep – Round 1, Pick 24 (Atlanta Braves)
T12. 1992: RHP John Burke – Round 1, Pick 27 (Colorado Rockies)
T12. 1993: RHP Marc Valdes – Round 1, Pick 27 (Florida Marlins)
14. 1989: RHP Jamie McAndrew – Round 1, Pick 28 (Los Angeles Dodgers)
15. 2016: RHP Dane Dunning – Round 1, Pick 29 (Washington Nationals)
T16. 2022: OF Sterlin Thompson, Round 1, Pick 31 (Colorado Rockies)
T16. 2012: LHP/1B Brian Johnson – Round 1, Pick 31 (Boston Red Sox)
18. 2018: RHP Jackson Kowar – Round 1, Pick 33 (Kansas City Royals)
19. 1998: 1B/OF/LHP Brad Wilkerson – Round 1, Pick 33 (Montreal Expos)
20. 2021: OF Jud Fabian – Round 2, Pick 40 (Boston Red Sox)
T21. 2022: LHP Hunter Barco – Round 2, Pick 44 (Pittsburgh Pirates)
T21. 2019: SS Brady McConnell – Round 2, Pick 44 (Kansas City Royals)
T23. 2004: RHP Justin Hoyman – Round 2, Pick 47 (Cleveland Indians)
T23. 2016: RHP Logan Shore – Pick 2, Round 47 (Oakland Athletics)
25. 2016: OF Buddy Reed – Round 2, Pick 48 (San Diego Padres)
26. 1979: C Marc Sullivan – Round 2, Pick 52 (Boston Red Sox)
27. 2023: RHP Brandon Sproat – Round 2, Pick 56 (New York Mets)
28. 2012: SS Nolan Fontana – Round 2, Pick 61 (Houston Astros)
29. 2016: 1B Pete Alonso – Round 2, Pick 64 (New York Mets)
30. 2022: OF Jud Fabian – Round 2, Pick 67 (Baltimore Orioles)
