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The St. Louis Cardinals’ prospect Thomas Saggese is a player to keep an eye on. As Cardinal fans suffer through another year of mediocrity, it’s nice to have some hope for the future. The young infielder definitely provides that.
Cardinals Acquire Saggese at 2023 Deadline
The Cardinals were sellers at the 2023 deadline, and they made some excellent additions in the process. They acquired Thomas Saggese, Tekoah Roby, and John King in exchange for Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton from the Rangers’ stacked minor league organization. Texas also received an international bonus pool slot from the Cardinals.
The Rangers drafted Saggese out of high school in the 2020 draft. He hit .308 in High-A during the 2022 season and then hit for a .381 average in Double-A to help Frisco win the Texas League championship. Saggese picked up right where he left off the following season. He continued to impress in the Texas League before and after being traded to the Cardinals.
Saggese Named 2023 Texas League MVP
Saggese received some well-deserved recognition as he was named the Texas League MVP in 2023. He was the fifth Springfield Cardinal to receive the award. The infielder led the league with a .318 average, an OPS of .936, 107 RBI’s, 158 hits, 60 extra base hits, and total bases with 274. He also tallied 25 homeruns. The utility man also showed versatility on defense, logging time at second base, third base, and shortstop for Double-A Springfield. He is likely best suited at second base but definitely has the versatility to play all over the infield.
Saggese is a right-handed hitter with an aggressive approach. He should have decent power once he adds more strength. Also, he could become an even better hitter if he improves his plate discipline. He’s a good athlete with decent speed and an average arm. He is likely best suited for second base. Furthermore, he also has good character, winning the Texas’ True Ranger Award for representing the organization’s core values on and off the field.
Finishing the Season With a Bang
The young slugger got off to a slow start this season but turned things around in July. The infielder was named the organization’s minor league hitter of the month. He put up an impressive .349/.400/.590 slash line and ranked among the organization’s leaders with 29 hits, eleven extra-base hits, 49 total bases, six doubles, four home runs, an OPS of .990, 14 RBI’S and 13 runs scored. Additionally, he had nine multi-hit efforts in his 21 starts. It was Saggese’s second career Cardinals’ Minor League Player of the Month award selection, having previously won in his first month with the organization.
The young slugger is the type of player Cardinal fans adore. He’s quite simply a good baseball player. The young infielder is a hard-nosed player who has good fundamentals. He can mash at the plate and can play all over the infield. If he continues to develop at his current pace, he could quite possibly make a push to be on the major league roster as soon as next season.
