ARLINGTON, Texas — Tampa is home to a top-10 MLB draft pick.
The Kansas City Royals selected Jac Caglianone with the sixth overall pick on Sunday night. The two-way player was a star at Plant High School before becoming one of the best players in Florida Gators baseball history with pitching and hitting prowess.
He hit 75 home runs, including 35 in 2024, to become the program's all-time home runs leader. He is the only player in SEC history to homer at least 30 times in back-to-back seasons. Caglianone also reached base safely in all but one game last season.
The Tampa native never missed a start as a pitcher, taking the bump 34 times as a Gator. He led the Florida pitching staff in 2024 with 16 starts. He earned 12 wins with a 4.55 ERA and 170 strikeouts.
Caglianone is the second-highest draft pick from a Tampa Bay area high school. The Mets selected Dwight Gooden fifth overall in 1982. He's the highest-drafted first baseman in Gators history and the program's 20th all-time first-round pick.
