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Thomas Saggese
The prize of the Jordan Montgomery-Chris Stratton trade, infielder Thomas Saggese came into the Cardinals organization mashing, winning Texas League Most Valuable Player for the incredible season he put up and is now knocking on the door of a big league debut with his late-season promotion to Memphis.
Saggese talked about having a chip on his shoulder after being dealt to the Cardinals. On one hand, it was exciting to be wanted by a club like St. Louis, but on the other hand, he wanted to prove Texas wrong for letting him go this past season. However, Saggese was able to find some silver lining in playing a role in the Rangers' World Series victory, as he brought them back two key pieces that helped them win it all.
That's what really stood out to me about Saggese. When asked why he's such a laidback guy, he pointed to his faith and the blessing it is that he gets to play baseball. Life is good for Saggese, and those around him get those vibes from him. It's easy to see why Saggese won the Texas Rangers' "True Ranger" award in 2022, given out to the player who best represents the core values of the organization, both on and off the field.
One of the Cardinals I was most impressed by during WWU was Thomas Saggese. I think he has flown a bit under-the-radar considering the storylines from this weekend
— Josh Jacobs (@joshjacoMLB) January 16, 2024
Constantly talks about his desire to work hard, hustle, be a good teammate. #STLCards fans are going to love him pic.twitter.com/PwJIvWKFot
It will be interesting to see how the Cardinals handle Saggese in 2024, especially if he continues the momentum he found with his bat last season. Saggese primarily plays at second base and third base, but the Cardinals have a plethora of options at those two positions already. He can fill in at shortstop when needed, but that's not the position he'll find the most success with defensively. I bet we'll see the Cardinals ask him to take reps in the outfield and first base during Spring Training, helping him find a way to get his bat in the lineup any way possible once he's promoted to St. Louis.
Motivated to continue his quick rise through the ranks professionally, the 21-year-old Saggese appears wise beyond his years already and will make it hard for St. Louis not to roster him in the near future.