Jac Caglianone addresses two-way future ahead of Royals’ 2026 season

When Kansas City Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone sat down with the Foul Territory crew, it did not take long for the conversation to turn to Shohei Ohtani.

Not to crown Caglianone the next Ohtani. That would be unfair to anyone. But the comparison framed the discussion the right way: legitimate two-way ability is rare. Historically rare. And that’s what makes Caglianone’s path so intriguing for the Royals.

“Obviously what he does is special. Nobody's doing it. That's why he's one of the best players in the world right now,” Caglianone said of Ohtani.

That acknowledgment wasn't passing off the hype, but acknowledging what the Japanese superstar has done in his MLB career. Fans will hear many notable two-way players' names in the same conversation as Ohtani, not because those players are living up to that ceiling, but because he is the only real reference fans have for what a two-way player does and looks like in modern baseball.

Former big leaguer Erik Kratz pointed out something many fans may not realize: Caglianone arrived in college viewed more as a pitcher than a hitter. Before arm surgery changed his trajectory, the mound was his calling card. Caglianone confirmed it. He showed up on campus expecting to follow a true two-way path. Then reality hit fast.

“Had TJ as soon as I got there… a week later I was in the lineup and never left.”

There was a world where Jac Caglianone was a pitcher first, hitter second.

That line says a lot. The slugger Royals fans now know wasn’t originally mapped out as a full-time hitter. His offensive breakout almost happened by accident. A coach invited him on what was described as a “vanity trip” for batting practice. Within days, he was in the lineup. And he stayed there. That might have been a good thing for the former SEC Standout, who, even though he was pumping triple-digit heat as a southpaw, didn't really have the finesse of a pitcher.

“I was a thrower. I'm not going to sit here and lie to you. I was a thrower.”

That self-awareness stands out. There’s a difference between throwing hard and truly pitching. Command. Sequencing. Repeating mechanics. Caglianone admitted those pieces weren’t fully there.
Still, he didn’t close the door to pitching in the big leagues. He brought up something that resonates in today’s development environment: modern data and pitching tools. High-speed cameras. Biomechanics. Advanced pitch modeling.

“If I actually had like all the data that they have nowadays… I think you could pitch? I think I could...I mean, we don't know, haven't tried it yet," Caglianone said.

But, despite how rare left-handed velocity can be, the possibility of Caglianone pitching doesn't remain a probability.

The Royals drafted and developed Caglianone primarily as a bat for a reason. His offensive production has forced the issue. His pitching, while intriguing, remains hypothetical at the professional level.