Jac Caglianone’s first flashes of greatness help KC Royals salvage White Sox series

It was only a matter of time before Jac Caglianone got hot. The constant theme from his first week of Major League Baseball was him hitting the ball hard, right to the opposing team.

The old adage "hit 'em where they ain't" wasn't working for Caglianone until the floodgates opened in the series finale against the White Sox on Sunday afternoon.

Caglianone didn't just have his first multi-hit game; it was a four-hit day. Coming into Sunday, Cags was hitting a robust .095, but his stellar outburst brought it up to .240.

The Royals continue to be inconsistent with their offense despite Jac's career day. They out-hit the White Sox 31-20 in the series but were outscored 16-10. They were one game away from being swept by the perennial AL Central basement-dweller.

Still, the boys took care of business and avoided the sweep, beating the White Sox 7-5. I know losing a series to the last-place team in the AL Central is enough to make you want to throw up, but there are reasons to be excited about what is coming.

Jac Caglianone's has career day helps KC Royals avoid the sweep

If anyone was worried about Jac Caglianone, they weren't watching the games; they were box score watching. He showed us everything we wanted to see.

He's hitting the ball hard to all fields, as his average exit velocity suggests (Caglianone and Bobby Witt Jr. have the same EV), and he's not striking out. Seeing a young player make so much contact in his first week was refreshing, and it was exactly what the Royals needed.

His first hit was a hard liner into center field on a sinker on the inside part of the plate. His next hit was a double off a four-seamer at the top of the zone, which was slaughtered at 113.6 mph and looked like a homer off the bat. His other two hits clocked in at 101.3 mph and 103.8 mph.

All you can ask a player to do is hit the ball hard and let fate do the rest. He finally broke out with four hits and achieved some history. According to MLB Pipeline, Caglianone joined Bo Jackson as the only player in Royals history with a four-hit game in their first six career games.

The rookie is settling into Major League Baseball like a seasoned pro. The Royals have put a lot on his plate, and he's answered the call. Hitting behind Salvador Perez in a struggling offense, learning a corner outfield spot, and dealing with the immense pressure of being a first-round pick is enough to make a mortal man crumble.

But Jac Caglianone has handled it all with grace and professionalism. You felt bad for the kid because it seemed like every great at-bat he had, someone was stealing a hit from him with an outstanding defensive play.

KC Royals OPS is still an issue, but is steadily improving

Winning only one game against the White Sox is nothing short of failure. The Royals have postseason aspirations, and they let the Sox interrupt their momentum coming into the series. No one expected the Royals to drop the first two games after the high of winning the Cardinals series, but that is why they play the games.

Although the result is disappointing, they avoided the dreaded sweep. There's another old baseball adage (I have a lot, in case you were wondering) that says, "win series at home, go .500 on the road." The Royals did that, going 3-3 on this road trip.

Jonathan India and Vinnie Pasquantino continued their surge during this road trip, with India going 3-5 with two RBI and Pasquantino going 2-5 with a pair of RBI himself.

As India has started to get on base more, the Royals' offense has slowly crept higher in the rankings with their offense. Their OBP ranks 23rd, their SLG ranks 24th, and their OPS ranks 24th.

My goal for the Royals to be middle of the road when it comes to offense has been my goal. They don't need to be elite when their pitching is elite more times than not.

However, one player we have been clamoring to get hot still hasn't found his rhythm.

Jac Caglianone wasn't the only KC Royal to have a long-awaited breakout on Sunday

The offense showed what it is capable of when the heart of the order is swinging well. Perez hit the game-tying two-run home run in the fourth inning, lifting a heavy vale from the Royals offense.

Perez's success is pivotal to the Royals' success. A 14-year career in Kansas City has bought Perez a lifetime of goodwill with the coaching staff and the fanbase. Even though he has had a down year relative to his standards, the Royals have no choice but to stand by him.

It's been documented on this site how unlucky the Venezuelan slugger has been this season. He turned in a good performance at the plate on Sunday, going 1-4 with a game-tying home run and 2 RBIs, but his .222 average across the road trip is not what you're looking for from your five-hitter.

"I always say that the good thing about baseball is you're going to have a lot of opportunities," said Perez. "Today was a new day."

Perez, who had a .955 OPS with runners in scoring position in 2024, is currently holds a .602 OPS with RISP.

For anyone hoping the Royals play Salvy less, you can forget about it. The Royals need Salvador Perez to hit and hit with power. He is their best option as a power hitter outside of Cags and Vinnie, and his success immediately makes the Royals a longer and more potent lineup.

“No chance we run away from Salvy," Royals manager Matt Qautraro said. We count on Salvy, he's made a career out of this. He's a Hall of Fame player who had a tough day yesterday. He knows how to bounce back from tough days."