The 3 best Cardinals performers in the Arizona Fall League

1 of 2

The annual Arizona Fall League has come to a close. The Salt River Rafters defeated the Surprise Saguaros in the championship game on Saturday, November 16th.

In total, the St. Louis Cardinals sent eight players to participate in the AFL. Position players Thomas Saggese, Leonardo Bernal, and Nathan Church along with pitchers Matt Svanson, Trent Baker, Ixan Henderson, Brycen Mautz, and Alex Cornwell represented the Cardinals in Arizona. These players were on the Glendale Desert Dogs. The Desert Dogs finished with a 16-14 record, and they were tied for second in the League.

The competition in the AFL is filled primarily with players who are at or near the Double-A level. Therefore, players who have seen major-league innings typically perform well in the circuit. Younger prospects are invited to showcase their skills or test their abilities against greater competition. Other players use the AFL as a time to continue their development or changes they made during the regular season.

Some Cardinals performed quite well in the AFL this year while others struggled. Here's a look at who had the best fall of the bunch.

INF Thomas Saggese

Thomas Saggese's presence on the roster wasn't to have him showcase his skills; those are well-known already. After making his major league debut in 2024, sending Saggese to the Arizona Fall League was to give him an opportunity to refine his skills. Saggese is a utility infielder who can capably play second base, third base, and shortstop. The Cardinals' hope in sending their #5 prospect to Arizona was to get him regular reps defensively.

Saggese slashed .391/.524/.594 for a 1.118 OPS in 64 at-bats. He hit a whopping seven doubles, two home runs, and he drove in 10 base runners. Sagges walked more times (16) than he struck out (15). Clearly, Thomas's bat is ready for the majors. After swinging at a team-high 41.2% of pitches outside the zone in the majors, Saggese needed to work on his patience, and he's done just that in Arizona.

Of the 14 games Saggese appeared in, he played 13 at second base. The Cardinals' hope in sending him to the Arizona Fall League was for him to refine his defensive skills there. In 111 innings at second, Saggese had a fielding percentage of .958. He committed two errors while finishing with 32 infield assists.

This is a small drop-off from his time in the majors at second base. He played 80.1 innings there in the majors, and he committed only one error with a fielding percentage of .977. The hope for the Cardinals is that Saggese continues to grow in comfort at second base.

It's likely Saggese enters spring training in a competition for second base with the incumbent Nolan Gorman and Brendan Donovan. Both Donovan and Saggese have positional flexibility, and the depth chart could change if third baseman Nolan Arenado is dealt this offseason. Regardless, Saggese's strong showing in the AFL sets him up well for success in 2025 no matter his position.

RHP Trent Baker

The Cardinals drafted Trent Baker out of Angelo State University in the ninth round of the 2021 MLB Draft. Baker, who will turn 26 on December 28th, reached Double-A Springfield in 2024 for the first time. He split time as both a starter and a reliever with the Cardinals last year. Baker made history with the Springfield Cardinals when he struck out the batter that gave the club its single-season record.

Baker features a fastball that touches 93 MPH at times, a slider that sits in the low-80s, and a changeup that floats near 85 MPH. The most innings Baker threw all year came on June 1st against the Wichita Wind Surge when he threw 6.1 innings of two-run ball. It was his best outing all year.

Baker finished 2024 with a 4-6 record in 22 games, 14 starts. He had a 4.89 ERA and a 1.457 WHIP. Baker's 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings were pedestrian, and he walked 4.8 batters per nine innings. Walks, not allowing hits, was his primary downfall last year.

In Arizona, Baker pitched only seven innings across three total games, two relief appearances and one start. He struck out only two batters, and he walked four. What made Baker's appearances strong was his ability to not allow runs; he had a 2.57 ERA, third among the Glendale Desert Dogs. Batters hit only .091 against him.

If Trent Baker can learn to limit his walks, he has the chance to become a reliable reliever with low strikeout potential.

OF Nathan Church

Nathan Church was drafted by the Cardinals in the eleventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of California, Irvine. Church, 24, also made it to Double-A Springfield in 2024.

While with the Cardinals in 2024, Church slashed .268/.332/.373 for a .705 OPS. He hit nine home runs, 22 doubles, and one triple, and he struck out 60 times while walking 43 times. The left-handed hitter's speed is above average, as he stole 24 bases last year while being thrown out only four times.

Defensively, Church has found his niche in the corner outfield. He played 629.2 innings in right field last year, and he had a .988 fielding percentage with only two errors. The Cardinals tried him in center field occasionally last year, but he had a .975 fielding percentage there with two errors in 265 innings. Left field appears to be Church's preference, as he had a .984 fielding percentage there in 2023 and a 1.000 fielding percentage there in 2024.

Church's offense jumped to another level while in Arizona. In 58 plate appearances, Church slashed .364/.397/.418 for an .815 OPS. He had two extra-base hits, one double and a triple; he drove in six base runners, too. While he wasn't able to hit for much power, Church's ability to hit for a high average was noteworthy given his offensive struggles in the past.

At the moment, Nathan Church is organizational depth, but his ability to play multiple outfield spots handily is a nice trait. If his offense can take off as a result of his performance in Arizona, Church may prove to be a worthy bench player in the future.

manual

Home / St Louis Cardinals Prospects

INF Thomas Saggese

RHP Trent Baker

OF Nathan Church

Schedule