Kansas City Royals right fielder Jac Caglianone made sure his first career home run was a memorable one.

On Thursday, the No. 6 overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft blasted a solo shot in the top of the second inning on a 2-2 pitch high over the middle of the plate.

The ball was nearly at Caglianone's shoulders when he made contact. It's impressive enough that he got his bat on the chest-high pitch, but to drill it 387 yards out of the field of play is even more remarkable. It certainly isn't something you see often from the average major leaguer.

If Caglianone's first home run is a sign of things to come, it will significantly reduce concerns about his troubling chase rate, or the percentage of pitches outside of the strike zone that a player swings at.

MLB.com noted after Caglianone was called up on June 3 that the former Florida Gator "ran a 44 percent chase rate as a sophomore in Gainesville," and lowered it to 39 percent the following year. Both numbers are well above the 2025 MLB average (27.9 percent).

"Major Leaguers should be expected to pitch outside the zone and test the new Royal slugger's willingness to expand it against the best-quality pitching he's seen," MLB.com's Sam Dykstra wrote.

Challenge accepted.

Caglianone has had a quiet start to his MLB career, entering Thursday with a .196/.212/.235 slash line in 13 games. Per Baseball Savant, he has an above-average chase rate (32.9 percent).

While his penchant for swinging at pitches outside the strike zone can be troubling, Caglianone's first career home run showed that it can lead to more balls in play, resulting in more runs.

Despite his lackluster numbers out of the gate, Baseball Savant data suggests Caglianone could become an excellent power hitter. He ranks eighth among all batters in average bat speed (77.5 percent) and seventh in fast swing rate (76.2 percent), defined as the number of swings with a bat speed at least 75 mph.

He also has a 51.3 percent hard hit rate, on par with stars Manny Machado (51.5 percent), Cal Raleigh (50 percent) and Bryce Harper (50 percent), and an excellent .302 expected batting average, higher than likely NL MVP Shohei Ohtani (.300).

Caglianone's first career home run was a teaser of the kind of talent he possesses. Few players would dare swing at that pitch. Even less could hit it out of the park.