Baseball’s Best Two-Way Player Not Named Shohei Ohtani

the next otanes two-way professional baseball player might be lacing up his cleats as we speak down at the University of Florida standing in at 65 250 heading into his age 21 season his junior year this is designated hitter first baseman and starting pitcher Jack kago and shoot myself comparing him to Otani is not putting any additional pressure on him as his nickname on campus is Jack Tony and Jack T has no plans of just hitting or just pitching anytime soon he was quoted saying I don't really see me really stopping unless a team Flatout tells me down the road that I've got to pick one or makes the decision for me I have no interest in stopping whatsoever and for good reason as you'll see in this video Jack works from the left side of the plate as well as from the rubber on the mound has been up to 101 mph in side sessions up to 99 in games and this LSU batter did his best couch GM impression in the batter box good luck and at the play it routinely records exit velocities of 110 mph plus even recording an exit velocity in 2023 of 120 mph now that is what Scouts would call plus plus power so left on left now and kagon absolutely annihilates the baseball this a no doubter in his sophomore year playing for the University of Florida his second year in college baseball kagon would lead the nation in home runs with 33 which is a University of Florida record as well as a record for the most home runs in a single season during the BB core era the BB core era started way back in 2011 a quick reminder if you're liking the content make sure to like And subscribe and if you or someone you know is thinking of buying selling or refinancing reach out to myself the couch GM or visit lender Conor web.com to hit a home run with your mortgage financing needs Jack would play in all 71 games during the gator season in 2023 including the NCAA playoffs when he's not pitching he's playing first base and when he's pitching he's still batting in the lineup at DH you cannot take him out of the lineup along with his 33 home runs he also had a 323 batting average a 389 on base percentage a 738 slug which is a ridiculous 1.26 Ops he would also logged 90 RBI in the 71 games that he played in and for those of you that are curious that is a 75 home run 25 RBI Pace over 162 Game season yeah blah blah blah College pitching and a metal bat but you get the point on top of his insane ability he also has the personality if you know the story behind this one why he's walking like a robot his teammate got ejected for showing a little emotion after a strikeout earlier in the game so KAG Leon had to act not on Shalon after hitting a grand slam as for kagon pitching in 2023 this was his first year pitching in college as he had Tommy John's surgery leading him to miss the 2022 season off the mound we'll get into those details in a bit but Jack was the starting pitcher in 18 games in 2023 he logged 74 in 2/3 Innings recording a 4.34 erra a 1.42 whip a 10.5 strikeouts per nine and a 6. six walks per nine which is definitely the area that needs some work heading into the 2024 season Scouts rank his Bat in the first round his pitching ability currently in the second round combined the hitting and the pitching and you've got a lock for a top 10 pick so let's get into Jack KAG Leon and how he got to this point Jack grew up in Tampa Florida which is about a 2-hour Drive south of his current residence in Gainesville Florida he would go on to attend Henry Plant High School in his senior year he would bat 37 71 with three home runs and a 2.44 erra on the mound with two saves and 65 strikeouts over 37 in third Innings approaching two strikeouts per inning and by that time he was 65 210 hitting 94 mph on the gun and he was ranked as Florida's number six overall Prospect out of high school the number one left-handed pitcher and the number four ranked left-handed pitcher in the country he would end up committing to the University of Florida specifically as a pitcher until unfortunately just a week before he reported to campus he would suffer a tear in his throwing elbow which would require Tommy John's surgery he initially planned to take a red shirt freshman year to rehab that elbow but eventually he convinced the coach to give him a start at DH and in his first career start he hit his first career home run in his first career start well welcome to the SEC in jack's first year in college baseball he played in 28 games and over 115 played appearances is he batted 289 with a 339 on base percentage a 548 slug which is an 887 Ops he recorded seven home runs and 27 RBI in his first exposure to college baseball he was on a respectable 40 home run 156 RBI Pace over 162 Game season Jack would play in Fall Ball in 2022 during which he was able to hit and Pitch he would be ready to go for that 2023 season and he would start the season off on an absolute tear the dick Hower trophy players of the month for February 2023 were LSU's Paul sk's National pitcher of the month and then Jack kagon winning player of the month in his opening month Jack would bat 429 with seven home runs and 14 RBI along with two doubles and 12 runs scored he had a 1.86 slug a 487 on base as the Florida Gators would start off the season 8-1 ranked number two in the in the country behind LSU Jack would go on to have an incredible year at the plate as previously described while on the mound he had electric stuff he just has a bit of fine tuning to figure out the Florida Gators would fall to the LSU Tigers two games to one in the College World Series but it was an epic showdown with superstars on both teams and Paul skines and Dylan Cruz on LSU's team as well as KAG Leon and Wyatt Langford for Florida for would end up being the number four overall pick in the draft to the Texas Rangers kagon would be one of five finalists for the dick Houser trophy in 2023 which is given to the best baseball player in the country Paul skines would take the award in 2023 but kagon is on speed dial for 2024 while in Omaha Jack T received the news that he had been selected as a member of the 2023 Collegiate national team a team that is composed of the top n non-raft eligible players in the country kagon stated it meant everything I've always wanted to represent my country and play with a great group of guys it's everything I've ever wanted I'm really excited to be a part of this and enjoy my time out here and as if there was any doubt his power plays with the wood bat too look at Jack cleone first pitch missile over the scoreboard in right field this home run left the bat at 116 mph traveled 440 ft and was one of his three home runs in eight RBIs that he had in the series against Chinese Taipei and Japan when asked about the life in the spotlight after the end of the college season Jack T responded that he wants to be a positive influence on the Next Generation he said I really just want to be an inspiration for younger kids anything is attainable if you work for it you just have to work hard and put the time in you're going to have to make some sacrifices but it's all worth it just enjoy the game and be present in the moment it seems that Jack was built for the spotlight and the spotlight is what he'll be getting this next year as well this image stating this is a generational Talent it's a singular talent in the history of college baseball he's been named a preseason first team All-American the preseason 2-way player of the year the preseason SEC Player of the Year and Otani has named kagon as the Otani pre-season Otani of the Year definitely not an award yet but if it was then he would have it but I mean with Otani not being able to pitch this next year kagon really is going to be one of a kind and oh by the way kagon has been working this offseason to dial in his pitching mechanics to help with his command which led to this offseason him meeting with his various pitching coaches as well as with former Big leager Cliff Lee to strategize how to be more efficient moving to the plate and to limit those walks so Baseball fans tune into a Florida game this year be on the lookout for Jack kagon and enjoy the show thank you for watching make sure to like And subscribe and share this with a baseball fan and we'll see you next time

Channel: The Couch GM

Views: 3,627

Keywords: couch gm, the couch gm, baseball, mlb, mariners, home run, strikeout, florida, university of Florida, Shohei, Ohtani, Caglianone, Jac Caglianone, Jac Caglianone florida, Florida baseball, Shohei Ohtani, golden spikes, ncaa baseball, jactani, florida baseball, golden spikes award, dick houser award

Id: hVSb3j9GFdM

Length: 9min 10sec (550 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 06 2024