Cardinals: Checking in on Thomas Saggese after an impressive start

What is Saggese's future with the Cardinals?

What does this incredible success mean for Saggese's future? Hopefully, he'll have the opportunity to debut at AAA before the 2023 season comes to a close. That would position him well for a 2024 call-up, and it would perhaps give him the opportunity to jump other players ahead of him on the depth chart, including Cesar Prieto and Nick Dunn.

It must be noted, however, that both of those players are having nice runs of their own. Either of them could potentially see time in St. Louis this season, though the Cardinals have shown hesitance to add valuable young players to their 40-man roster in recent weeks. Dunn, considering his age and his .328 batting average, is the likelier of the pair to reach St. Louis, though the Cardinals may still want to protect him through the winter, and the easiest way to do that will be to leave him off the roster. Prieto for his part is hitting .333, though neither he nor Dunn is showing the same power output as Saggese. This gives him the highest ceiling of the three.

When factoring in his age (Saggese is just 21, compared to Dunn, 26, and Prieto, 24) it's clear that Saggese is the player the Cardinals value the most. His sweet swing and slick defense give him the potential to be a lineup fixture down the road. Even if Saggese finishes the season with Springfield, he has been far too impressive to ignore. Perhaps the Cardinals will send him to the Arizona Fall League, which would immediately become must-watch TV for Cardinals fans. At worst, expect to see him in St. Louis by the end of the 2024 season!