Friendly foes, 2024 first-rounders Moore and Caglianone trade first Triple-A homers

For years, Christian Moore and Jac Caglianone laced up their cleats against one another in the SEC. A rivalry that spanned Florida, Tennessee and other landmarks across the South moved to Salt Lake City this week as the Royals and Angels' top prospects got simultaneous Triple-A promotions.

So it was only fitting that their respective first homers at the highest level of the Minors followed one another in quick succession during Salt Lake's 9-5 win over Omaha at The Ballpark at America's First Square on Thursday night.

Angels manager Ron Washington said the organization hoped to “challenge” Moore by bumping him up a level -- and the 22-year-old has responded. The eighth overall pick in the 2024 Draft collected a pair of singles his first two times at the dish before upping the ante in the fifth. MLB’s No. 60 prospect took a hanging breaking ball from Luinder Avila (KC No. 19) and deposited it beyond the 420-foot marker in straightaway center field.

“That was pretty cool, not going to lie,” Moore told Salt Lake reporter Sammy Miller postgame. "I saw a hanging breaking ball and just tried to put a good swing on it."

When Caglianone was at the Arizona Fall League last year, he showed off his penchant for absolutely hammering the ball. His promotion to Omaha means Statcast technology will document all his games, offering further proof that MLB’s No. 10 prospect can mash at an elite level.

But when the sixth overall pick in the 2024 Draft collected his first Triple-A hit Tuesday, it was a 66.7 mph nubber up the third-base line that went 2 feet. His first home run at the level was a whole different story.

Facing seven-year big leaguer Dakota Hudson in the sixth, Caglianone got the 3-0 green light and walloped a center-center pitch that landed on the right-field berm after coming off the bat at 113.7 mph. It marked the hardest hit ball by any Omaha player in 2025.

“‘I couldn't let you have all the fun!'" Caglianone said he told Moore as he rounded the bases. "It's awesome to see what he's doing, tearing the cover off the ball. I mean, I hate that it's against us, but he's just super-talented, that's what he does. I'm fired up because I consider him one of my pretty good friends.”

Moore has been no stranger to arriving at a new club and immediately hitting everything in sight. After going 6-for-11 in two games with Single-A Inland Empire last summer, he was quickly bumped up to Double-A Rocket City. He homered in his first game there, then four more times over the following five contests.

His arrival with the Bees has followed a similar trajectory. After Thursday's 4-for-5 performance, he’s 8-for-13 across his first three games with five RBIs.

Caglianone has also acclimated well to his first taste of Triple-A pitching. He’s hitting .308 with an .846 OPS while starting in right field -- something the Royals have added to his repertoire as they seek ways to potentially get his bat into the big league lineup -- for the second time in a three-game span.

It’s already been a memorable year for Caglianone in many ways: two hits off future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw. A 120.9 mph hit. A homer onto the rooftop of a neighboring building. Few prospects in all of baseball can match the near-fever pitch percolating around Kansas City's most-hyped prospect since Bobby Witt Jr.

The Caglianone and Moore matchup involved a fortuitous scheduling quirk: the International League (Omaha) and Pacific Coast League (Salt Lake) are playing select regular-season series against each another in 2025.

Exactly one year ago, Caglianone and Moore were playing in the SEC Tournament. Now they’re two of the fastest-rising prospects in the game and hammering on the door of the big leagues.

“Crazy would be an understatement," Caglianone said about the journey, 365 days later. "You’re putting your blood, sweat and tears into a university for four years and all you’re caring about is making it to Omaha and winning a national championship. Fast-forward a year and being one call away from The Show is a whirlwind."