Jac Caglianone could defy this historical trend with KC Royals

Shohei Ohtani has set the two-way bar incredibly high.

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shoehei Ohtani reopened the door for legitimate two-way players, following several superb seasons since his MLB debut. But before he came along, the role gradually waned as baseball slowly became more specialized.

With Ohtani recovering from Tommy John's surgery this season, there isn't another two-way player. Teams such as the Angels and Cincinnati Reds toyed with some MLB players, but none of their experiences lasted long. Both New York clubs have two-way players on the farm, but the Yankees' Josh Tiedemann and the Mets' Nolan McLean are not close to the major-league roster.

The league drafted a record number of two-way players in the 2023 MLB Draft, but two-way players do not have a long line this century. St. Louis Cardinals' Rick Ankiel and Milwaukee Brewers' Brooks Kieschnick come to mind, but they are hardly sterling success stories. The two-way player designation became official back in 2020, but that roster flexibility hasn't been capitalized upon around MLB.

The odds are vastly against Caglianone, but we will never know for sure until he tries. He will have a very short leash regarding his pitching outlook. Teams are pushed to win games, which encourages them to get their best young players faster by getting rid of parts of their game that are seen as weak or ineffective.

MLB.com's Jim Callis said "Caglianone has a brighter future as a slugger," and the Florida alum is a prime candidate to rise through the minors fast. But, it feels like Caglianone only does that if he abandons his pitching aspirations. For now, he is riding the high of realizing a childhood dream and starting his professional journey with the resurgent Royals.

"It’s an unbelievable feeling, I’m just really excited to get to work with all these high-end talent guys and just develop more. And become the next guy in the lineup behind Bobby, hopefully."

Jac Caglianone

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