The Florida Gators are on the verge of having a top five MLB Draft pick for the second straight season as two-way collegiate superstar Jac Caglianone will hear his name called early on July 14th. During the 2023 draft, Wyatt Langford made history as the second-highest Gator to ever be selected in the MLB Draft as the Texas Rangers drafted him with the fourth overall pick of the first round. Langford trails only Mike Zunino (third overall in 2012) as the top draft pick in the history of the program.
Could Caglianone become the highest-drafted Gator in program history? It’s certainly possible.
MLB.com lists Caglianone as the third-best prospect behind Oregon State’s Travis Bazzana and Georgia’s Charlie Condon.
Where do mock drafts have Caglianone going?
MLB.com: 2nd overall
Jim Callis, a senior writer for MLB Pipeline, has Caglianone being selected second overall to the Cincinnati Reds in a mock draft that was created on June 27th. Callis gives Caglianone a 10% chance to be selected No.1 overall to the Cleveland Guardians.
MLB.com: 3rd overall
Another MLB writer, Jonathan Mayo, has Caglianone going third-overall to the Colorado Rockies.
“I’m going according to chalk here, the top three players going in the top three spots,” Mayo writes. “It does seem like the hitters are in the lead, though Burns and Smith (in that order) are still being discussed. The Rockies might also kick the tires on cutting a deal with one of the college hitters projected to go more in the middle of the first round, someone like Oklahoma State’s Carson Benge.”
USA Today: 4th overall
USA Today’s Gabe Laques has Caglianone going 4th overall to the Oakland Athletics.
“If A’s owner John Fisher is excited about famous opposing players like Aaron Judge coming to play in their temporary Sacramento digs, Caglianone, a two-way player, might give Sacto-A’s fans a hometown guy to rally around. While Caglianone may very well be strictly a hitter in the pros, that’s more than enough: He slugged 68 homers the past two seasons and was second only to Condon with 35 this year.”
CBS Sports: 5th overall
CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa has Caglianone going 5th overall to the Chicago White Sox, which is about the lowest you can find him on any mock draft.
“Will the team that drafts Calgianone let him continue as a two-way player? There’s some thought he’ll really blossom as a hitter once he gives up pitching, and we are talking about the guy with the most power in the draft class. Caglianone has legitimate pro potential on the mound, but he might just be a reliever in the long run. Is the juice worth the squeeze? He’s already had Tommy John surgery once (June 2021). Do you really want to risk it again? The White Sox are rebuilding from the ground up and a middle of the order force like Caglianone would be an excellent building block.”
What’s keeping Caglianone from being the No.1 prospect?
There are a few factors keeping Caglianone from becoming the number one overall selection. The first being this is a loaded collegiate class, filled with some of the best individual seasons by any player in the history of the sport. If this were a different year, Caglianone might very well be the first off the board.
The second being Jac Caglianone doesn’t play a premier position. Keeping analytics in mind, second base is one of the more valuable positions in Major League Baseball. Professional teams want second baseman that hit for power, and there’s two in the 2024 draft class in JJ Weatherholt and Travis Bazzana, who both have a chance to go No.1 overall.
MLB teams are also questioning whether Caglianone will pitch at the next level. Caglianone is a safe draft pick for his bat alone, but the question marks surrounding his pitching and injury history are probably keeping him from going 1.01.
It seems as if Caglianone is a lock for a top 5 draft pick and could go as high as No.2. Caglianone is a top three player in the draft, so if he’s selected below that it’s due to positional needs or money.
The following is the expected slot value for the first six draft picks.
- Guardians: $10,570,600
- Reds: $9,785,000
- Rockies: $9,070,800
- Athletics: $8,370,800
- White Sox: $7,763,700
- Royals: $7,213,800