3 intriguing KC Royals spring training invitees to watch closely

Spring training begins in a month, and no one should be particularly surprised that the Kansas City Royals have invited Jac Caglianone to their major league camp. He is, after all, their top prospect per MLB Pipeline and although he hasn't yet played a full professional season, at least one major projection system has him making it to the majors for a short time in 2025. But for all the attention he draws, Caglianone isn't the only intriguing player among the almost two dozen non-roster invitees Kansas City is welcoming to big league spring training.

Outfielder Gavin Cross — the Royals' first 2022 draft choice who ought to begin the season at Triple-A Omaha — and top 2023 pick Blake Mitchell will both be in camp, with Mitchell arriving when pitchers and catchers report on February 12 and Cross reporting when the rest of the club arrives five days later.

Here are three more interesting invitees.

Cavan Biggio, UTL

Yes, Biggio is the son of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio. No, his recent signing to a minor league contract won't guarantee a postseason berth for the club, or make one more likely. It's — at best — a low-risk, moderate-reward deal for a team still craving the big mid-lineup bat Biggio simply won't provide.

Bringing Biggio aboard is indeed a curious move. Other than his decent 16-homer 2019 major league debut and his eight-homer, 28-RBI, .250/375/.432 performance in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, versatility is his only claim to fame. But that's a commodity the Royals have plenty of and don't particularly need to supplement with a career .225 hitter who's never again approached that .250 he posted in 2020 and who hit .197 last year while playing for five different clubs.

Biggio also hasn't distinguished himself in the field. Although he's done everything but pitch and catch and has a +1 aggregate outfield OAA, he has a positive career OAA at only one individual position — +1 in right field — and his worst is a -4 at third base. Only his .987 fielding percentage at second base ranks above league average for any position at which he's played more than five games. Simply put, Biggio is not the stellar fielder some may believe him to be.

It is Biggio's invitation to major league camp, then, and what he does with the opportunity, that makes him intriguing.