Re-ranking the value of the Cardinals' 10 best young position players

8. Thomas Saggese (Previous ranking: #7)

One of the key pieces in the Jordan Montgomery trade from last year, Thomas Saggese was the Texas League Most Valuable Player in 2023 and is now recognized as a top 100 prospect among most major publications.

Saggese is on the cusp of making his way to St. Louis, but with Nolan Arenado, Nolan Gorman, Masyn Winn, and Brendan Donovan all blocking him at key positions, it may take some time before he carves out a regular role.

Saggese has seen time at shortstop, second base, and third base to begin the season, and will be able to make his way into the Cardinals' lineup on a regular basis. Saggese bat continues to impress at every level, and the Cardinals will want to find a way to work him in as often as possible.

One injury to one of those Cardinals infielders would be the spark to get Saggese to St. Louis in the near future. Without that, it may take a trade or reduced bench role before Saggese really gets a real shot. The Cardinals will have multiple decisions to make next offseason (with Paul Goldschmidt being the biggest decision of all), and a potential departure from him or other bats could be what clears the way for Saggese.

Saggese could end up being used as a trade chip himself, as he's set to become a very valuable everyday player, similar to that of Brendan Donovan. Saggese isn't the on-base machine that Donovan is and isn't quite that versatile, but his above-average hit and power tool will make him very valuable for years to come.