The St. Louis Cardinals’ No. 4 prospect Thomas Saggese has continued to impress in the Arizona Fall League over the past month. The infielder was named to the Fall Stars Game in the AFL Showcase. Saggese will ride the impressive play into a competition to make the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster in the spring.
Thomas Saggese has been selected to the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game! ⭐️
Saggese is hitting .391 with a 1.118 OPS in the @MLBAZFallLeague!#ForTheLou pic.twitter.com/TD6k74ytlS
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) November 8, 2024
Thomas Saggese Enjoying Strong Season in Arizona Fall League
Great Fall League Stats
Saggese flexed his patience in Arizona with the Glendale Desert Dogs. He led the league in on-base percentage at .542 over 18 games. The 22-year-old walked 16 times while only striking out 15 times.
Getting on base wasn’t the only way Saggese showed off his ability at the plate. The middle infielder had a .391 batting average, good for third-best in the AFL. He also slugged .594, the fifth highest in the League. Saggese’s OPS was fourth highest this fall at 1.118. The biggest change for Saggese was his mentality going into at-bats.
“I think just make a conscious effort of better game planning,” Saggese said in early November. “More just kind of thinking along of with the pitcher and what he’s trying to do. Really realizing just not giving the pitchers too much credit because they’re trying to throw strikes, they’re going to miss in the middle of the zone a lot. When they do that’s when I make my money. When they miss in the middle of the zone wait for that, rather than trying to do too much. So really just that idea. Really just the thought process of it.”
In the AFL Showcase, Saggese continued to demonstrate patience at the plate. He walked twice and came around to score once.
Impressive End to 2024
Saggese made his MLB debut in September. The infielder went on to play 18 games with the Cardinals. In those games, he slashed .204/.250/.306. While Saggese didn’t have dominant numbers at the plate, he impressed Cardinals management with his defense.
“The one thing that stood out was just his defense,” said John Mozeliak, Cardinals President of Baseball Operations, in a KMOX Radio interview on Sept. 15. “Obviously to go in and make your debut at the major league level, there’s probably a lot of nerves and some uncertainty and all of that, but the way he played was really impressive.”
The Texas Rangers traded Saggese and a package of other prospects like Tekoah Roby for Jordan Montgomery at the 2023 trade deadline. The deal helped the Rangers go on to win the World Series, but it also helped restock the Cardinals farm system. The Cardinals have high hopes for Saggese future.
“This is a kid that is a winning player,” said Oliver Marmol, the Cardinals manager, in an interview with KMOX on Sept. 15. “There’s good players and winning players. When this organization has been really good it’s been filled with winning players.”
Opportunity for Saggese
Saggese can play second base, shortstop, or third base. While budding star Masyn Winn has the shortstop position locked up, he could have opportunities at the other two infield positions.
The Cardinals are rumored to be exploring trades for Nolan Arenado. If the team moves on from the eight-time All-Star third baseman, Saggese will likely inherit the position. However, even if they don’t move Arenado, Saggese will have a strong chance to win the second base position over the disappointing 2018 first-round draft pick Nolan Gorman.
Saggese is currently the Cardinals No. 4 prospect. In 2023 he won the Texas League MVP with the Cardinals’ Double-A affiliate in Springfield. With the organization shifting its focus to developing young players, they are likely to want to get him in the lineup early in 2025.
His opportunity could be as soon as opening day. His performance in the AFL will only help move him closer to securing a spot in the infield for next season. Though a strong spring training would secure it.
Photo Credit: © Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
