Former Gators Star Jac Caglianone Sees Early Home Run Derby Exit
Former Florida Gators baseball star Jac Caglianone saw an early exit in the 2026 MLB Home Run Derby. He hit just eight home runs in the first round.
He started to find his swing later in his time up, but it was too little too late. He hit a lot of line drives early, but most of them never came close to the wall. In a live game, they would have been hard-hit singles.
After hitting one 462 feet on his second swing, he failed to hit a home run on the next seven. Once he got anther one out, he hit four home runs in a row.
His longest home run went 477 feet to the batter's eye, and his hardest hit ball was 116 mph. His home runs averaged 448 feet, and the average exit velocity was 111 mph.
The highlight shot was one that went halfway up the third deck of Citizens Bank Park.
Jac Caglianone to the UPPER DECK pic.twitter.com/ORKc3ZEIRu
- MLB (@MLB) July 14, 2026
It was Caglianone's first time participating in the Home Run Derby. He was aiming to be the first Gator to win it since Pete Alonso won his second in 2021. He would have been the second-ever alum to win it.
He played for the Gators from 2022 to 2024. Those who saw him in Gainesville are no strangers to him hitting home runs. He set a program record with 75 home runs over two and half seasons.
During his time at Florida, he was part of the team that fell a win short of winning the 2023 College World Series. He helped lift the Gators to another appearance in Omaha the following year, but they fell short of reaching the Final again.
Caglianone won the John Olerud 2-Way Player of the Year award after the 2024 season, a finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and was a First Team All-American honoree.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/florida as Former Gators Star Jac Caglianone Sees Early Home Run Derby Exit.
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This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 9:40 PM.