3 good thoughts about struggling KC Royals rookie Jac Caglianone after 20 games

Jac Caglianone played in his 20th major league game Thursday afternoon. Unfortunately, and not unlike most of his previous 19 appearances, Thursday's contest, in which he went 0-for-3 during the club's 4-0 loss to Tampa Bay, gave the Kansas City Royals' No. 1 prospect little to celebrate. Thus far, his hasn't been the wondrous, awe-inspiring major league debut so many believed he, the club, and Royals fans would have enjoyed so much.

The cold, hard Caglianone truth is this: contrary to predictions and hope, he has not saved the Royals' awful offense from itself, and won't single-handedly do so in the future. Proof of that lies in the rookie's unimpressive .178/.231/.301 20-game line; further proof that he's contributed almost nothing to Kansas City's season-long offensive malaise lies in the two homers he's hit and four runs he's driven in across 73 at-bats.

But Caglianone can, and should be, forgiven for his early struggles. After all, the Royals' newest outfielder is raw and inexperienced — he's still several weeks shy of his first anniversary as a professional ballplayer — he debuted early last August with High-A Quad Cities after KC snatched him up with its first pick in last summer's amateur draft. And he arrived in the majors with only 79 minor league games behind him, including a mere 12 at Triple-A Omaha, before the Royals called him up June 1.

Fair to say, though, is that while Caglianone's early big league numbers aren't striking fear in his opponents, all is not lost. And here's why.

KC Royals rookie Jac Caglianone has tremendous poise

Caglianone could be excused if, at the tender major league age of 22, his profound lack of statistical success had him panicking. But he doesn't seem any worse for the wear — instead, watching Caglianone's on-field demeanor provides no hint of anything being amiss. He invariably looks focused, unrattled, unfazed, and ready for his next plate appearance.

Lesser rookies might have already thrown more than one fit, turned angrily on plate umpires after striking out, or trashed a dugout or clubhouse. But not Caglianone — he hasn't lost his poise or his cool. And that's good. Temperament and outlook have much to do with big league success, and Caglianone appears to have plentiful supplies of both.

It looks like his KC Royals teammates love Jac Caglianone

Some veteran players might resent the arrival and presence of a rookie who, like Caglianone, burst onto the big league scene with as much fanfare and so many predictions of imminent success. But by all indications, the Royals have to a man embraced him, had his back from the moment he stepped into their clubhouse, and have nothing but respect for their new teammate.

Take slugging first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, for example. Quick to heap praise on Caglianone early in this year's Cactus League schedule, Pasquantino then wasted no time seeking to ease the potential pressure on the rookie after Caglianone went hitless in his first game.

Then there was the now-famous June 19 dugout cold shoulder the Royals gave Caglianone after he clubbed his first big league homer against Texas. The faux freezeout, a long-standing baseball tradition, reflected his teammates' affection and respect, feelings they proved once again when they greeted him with a more boisterous display after he belted his second homer later in the game.

How the Royals are treating their young rookie will, his early slump notwithstanding, serve him well.

Jac Caglianone is too good to fail with the KC Royals

And that's a fact. Caglianone is a rare talent, packed with power, potential, and athleticism beyond his years. He's been through a long slump before and weathered it well. The .322/.389/.593 he slashed, 15 homers he hit, and 56 runs he drove in across 50 games split between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha this season tend to prove there was nothing left for him to accomplish in the minors when KC called him up.

And while his traditional counting stats leave much to be desired, his more advanced offensive metrics suggest his early ills at the plate won't last long — through Thursday per Baseball Savant, he had a .283 xBA, .350 xWOBA, and .486 xSLG.

Bottom line? Caglianone will be fine. It may take a bit more time, but he should soon be everything he's expected to be.