This story was excerpted from Anne Rogers’ Royals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
WASHINGTON -- Jac Caglianone has roamed the outfield, shown off his cannon of an arm and ability to track down balls enough this season that he’s become a weapon out there for the Royals at times. At the least, he’s someone they can rely on in the corner outfield while he’s providing power at the plate.
Now they need him to move back to the dirt.
With Vinnie Pasquantino’s hamate bone fracture and surgery, which will sideline him until at least July, the Royals have a void at first base, and Caglianone will likely get the majority of reps there. That moves Caglianone back to the position he played in college (when he wasn’t pitching) and in his short time in the Minor Leagues before the Royals moved him to right field in anticipation of his big league debut.
“I’ve been playing first base for so long that it feels like muscle memory,” Caglianone said. “It doesn’t really go away, and it hasn’t really been that long since I’ve played there consistently.”
It won’t be every day, as we saw Monday against the Nationals with Caglianone in right field and Salvador Perez at first base. Nick Loftin can be part of the first base mix, too. The catching rotation between Perez and Carter Jensen will have a direct impact on first base; when Perez isn’t catching, he’ll play first or be the designated hitter. Giving guys days off, either at DH or the full game out of the lineup, will factor into how the Royals align their defense, too.
But for now, they’ll rely heavily on Caglianone anchoring the infield at first.
“He's comfortable there,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “He’s been doing work there. Watching him take ground balls and stuff, he’s very athletic. He moves his feet well. Those are the prerequisites for being a good infielder. He hasn’t been over there that much [this year] … so there might be some adjustment. But he feels comfortable there.”
Entering Wednesday, Caglianone has logged 26 1/3 innings at first base this year, compared to his 455 innings in right field. Even though he might be going back to what he knows best, he’s been so focused on improving in the outfield that there have been things he’s needed to refocus back on the dirt.
The arm angles are at the top of that list. Caglianone has been working on an over-the-top angle from the outfield to get as much carry on the long throws he has to make. That changes on the dirt, with infielders needing to make throws from different angles as they quickly field balls. Pasquantino has become very good at the low-slot throw to second base on double plays, and Caglianone has taken notice.
“I’ve gotten so many more reps throwing over the top, just being in the outfield,” Caglianone said. “At school, it was always like, ‘Take your time, throw from the top because your arm will make up for it.’ But here, guys are faster, got to get rid of it quicker. So working on that is the biggest difference. Being comfortable throwing to second, feeling like you have enough time. Not freaking out that you have to get rid of it now. That’s the biggest thing.”
Pasquantino’s position isn’t the only thing Caglianone has taken over since the injury; the 23-year-old has also been moved up in the lineup to the No. 3 spot, partly out of need but also because of production. Caglianone has a .269/.344/.436 slash line this season and has been scorching hot lately with an .878 OPS over the past month.
As much as this season has been a struggle for the Royals in terms of wins, they have an opportunity to see what Caglianone can do -- and how he can fit into their future -- with everyday at-bats in a prominent spot in the lineup.
And they’ll also be able to evaluate him as a first baseman now, too.
“I love first base,” Caglianone said. “I enjoyed it at school, enjoyed it in the Minor Leagues. You get to be more involved. You get to talk to people. I’m excited to bounce back and forth. But through it all, still just going to lean on Vinnie a lot.”