A Gator is back in the MLB All-Star Home Run Derby for the first time since 2024. This time, a new name arises: Jac Caglianone.
In his second year in the majors, Caglianone looks to become the youngest to win the derby since Juan Gonalez won at 23 years and 265 days old in 1993. The Kansas City Royals right fielder made his MLB debut on June 3, 2025, after going sixth overall in the 2024 draft.
This season, Caglianone hit 14 home runs, including nine in June. He also recorded a .258 average on 77 hits, 41 runs and 33 RBIs in 299 at bats.
Caglianone’s stats stand out, but his distance and power brings excitement to the derby field. He will join Junior Caminero (Tampa Bay), Ben Rice (New York Yankees) and others to be announced on Monday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Caglianone announced his intentions to participate live on MLB Network, sharing that his dad will pitch to him.
“He’s got ice in his veins,” he said. “He threw in the fall league home run derby to be, and now we’re doing this one. It’s going to be great.”
This season, Caglianone knocked a 444-foot bomb after hitting his career-long 466 last season. But Gators fans remember his 516-foot home run over the Condron Family Ballpark scoreboard against Jacksonville in 2024.
In Gainesville, Caglianone coined the nickname “Jac-tani,” inspired by two-way Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. A left-handed pitcher and first baseman for the Gators, he forwent his redshirt as a freshman after Tommy John surgery before that 2022 season. Instead, he opted to play as the designated hitter while rehabbing his throwing arm.
His junior season was statistically his most successful, racking up a .419 batting average with 104 hits, 83 runs, 72 RBIs and a single-season program record 35 home runs. He also holds the Florida record for career home runs, passing Matt LaPorta when Caglianone hit his 75th bomb in Omaha.
Tying the NCAA Division I record, Caglianone homered in nine straight games in April 2024. He also became the first player in SEC history to hit back-to-back 30-home-run seasons.
Named a 2023 Golden Spikes Award Finalist and semifinalist in 2024, Caglianone led the Gators to the College World Series twice, finishing second to LSU in 2023 and falling to Texas A&M in the 2024 semifinals.
The Tampa native has big shoes to fill, as former Gators first baseman Pete Alonso won the derby back-to-back in 2019 and 2021. In his first win, Alonso won the $1 million prize as a rookie, hitting 57 homers across the three rounds, before topping that with 74 in two years later.
