Newly-signed KC Royals veteran journeyman dazzles in first start of season

Superstar-in-the-making and top Kansas City Royals prospect Jac Caglianone, now almost certain to play in Kauffman Stadium before this, his first professional season, ends, made his Triple-A debut Tuesday night. Playing against Salt Lake City for the Storm Chasers, Caglianone had an uneventful night, going 1-for-4 with a single at the Bees' The Ballpark at America First Square.

While Caglianone offered up no heroics in Utah, a crafty and accomplished veteran of 20 major league seasons made a debut of his own nearly 700 miles away in Surprise, Arizona. Left-hander Rich Hill pitched his first game for the Kansas City organization since signing a minor league deal with the Royals last week.

And he was better than good ... perfect, in fact. Starting for the ACL Royals in an Arizona Complex League game against the ACL Cubs, Hill didn't allow a hit or a runner in four strong innings and struck out seven of the 12 Cubs he faced. The only good thing he didn't do was win, but that's only because he fell one frame short of qualifying for the pitching victory in the Royals' 8-2 triumph.

Not bad for a 45-year-old who hadn't thrown a competitive pitch since late September of last year, when he worked a third of an inning for the Red Sox in a game against the Mets. He pitched twice in both August and September before the Sox — his 13th club in 20 seasons — let him go before September reached its midpoint.

What's next for Rich Hill and the KC Royals?

Wanting to pitch another big league season but lacking a new baseball home until the Royals, who've also recently signed three other hurlers with major league experience, Hill took the first step in his quest to make it back to the majors Tuesday. And although things went so well, his stellar performance must be scrutinized in its context — a Complex League contest featuring a savvy, battle-tested big league veteran doing battle with young players who've barely started their own pro careers. That Hill, owner of a serviceable 90-74, 4.07 ERA major league record, dominated isn't particularly surprising.

And shouldn't be taken as a sign that a callup to Kansas City isn't far away.

At the same time, however, Hill's Tuesday evening performance strongly suggests he has something effective left in the tank. Zipping unscathed through 12 straight hitters eight months after last seeing game action means something good could happen.

Only time will tell, though, if that something good turns out to be a ticket to Kauffman Stadium and a spot on Kansas City's big league roster. Expect the Royals to pitch him at least once more in Arizona and to give him some work at Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha before deciding whether he can help them in Kansas City.