By MATT PIKE
Kansas City Royals first baseman and outfielder Jac Caglianone announced this morning on MLB Network that he will participate in the 2026 Home Run Derby on Monday July 13th in Philadelphia as part of the All Star festivities
Caglianone will be the sixth Royal to participate in the Home Run Derby, following Bo Jackson, Danny Tartabull, Mike Moustakas, Salvador Perez, and most recently Bobby Witt Jr. No Royal has won the Home Run Derby, however Witt Jr. was the runner-up in 2024, when he hit 50 home runs in total, including 13 in the final round, one shy of Teoscar Hernández’s 14.
In his first full season in the Majors, Caglianone in 85 games is slashing .258/.322/.455 with a team-high 14 home runs and 33 RBI's. He has heated up since the beginning of June, in 31 games slashing .289/.351/.562 with nine home runs and 22 RBI's, including three multi-home run efforts in that stretch. Caglianone’s 14 home runs have an average distance of 418 ft., tied for the best average in the Majors this season.
Caglianone hit six home runs in a span of five games from June 18th to the 23rd, including a two homer game on June 21st at home against St. Louis and another two home run game two days later on June 23rd on the road in his hometown of Tampa Bay. Among American League players age 23 or younger, his 14 home runs rank tied for third, trailing only Junior Caminero, who is also participating in the Home Run Derby, and Nick Kurtz.
It's the second Home Run Derby of Caglianone's career, his first in the big leagues. Caglianone participated in the 2024 Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby. During his collegiate career at the University of Florida, he set the school’s single-season home run record with 35 home runs and the career record with 75. He homered in nine consecutive games from April 6th to the 19th in 2024, matching the NCAA Division I record.
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