Sunday, July 14, 2024

2024 MLB Draft Pick 1.2: Jac Caglianone

"With the 2nd overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft, the Cincinnati Reds (should) select Jac Caglianone!!!"


I'm all in.

I really like Travis Bazzana, but I love Jac. The smart money says Bazzana, but I'm taking Jac even if Bazzana is still on the board. I think Jac has the Aaron Judge thing; a tall hitter who is compact enough to minimize the risk of (1) longer levers and (2) having a larger strikezone to cover, but still take advantage of the force generation and power production of a larger hitter. The best of both worlds. All of the upside, but minimal amounts of the downside. 

I love Jac's swing and have just a bit of concern about Charlie Condon's hit tool/contact rate and ability to mitigate the "tall hitter" risks. It feels like Condon extends his arms a bit early, driven by, and compounding, his long-lever risk, and as a result I'm not convinced that he can handle plus velocity and plus breaking pitches on the inner half of the plate.

So, gimme Jac! Let's go!!!


If by some extremely unexpected outcome, the Guardians take Jac at 1.1, then I'll grab Travis Bazzana at 1.2. But, none of the mocks have that as a plausible outcome.