Sometimes, luck plays a significant role in a player’s statistics. During his rookie season, Kansas City Royals right fielder Jac Caglianone had more than his fair share of bad luck. Caglianone rocketed through the minors early last season. In 66 games in AA and AAA ball, the slugger looked like an instant star. He slashed .337/.408/.617 with 20 home runs and 72 RBI. His strikeout rate was excellent at 18.8 percent, and he walked 10.2 percent of the time. He made his major-league debut on June 3, and his rookie season couldn’t have gone worse. His slash for the Royals was awful – .157/.237/.295. He hit just seven home runs in 62 games. His strikeout rate was acceptable against major league pitching at 22.4 percent, and his walk rate was 7.8 percent. Luck is part of the game. Sometimes a batter will square a ball up and hit it right at a fielder. Other times, a ball will barely make contact with the bat and dribble down the line for an infield hit. Caglianone suffered greatly in the first scenario in 2025.
