Thomas Saggese needs to be the Cardinals' next Swiss army knife

The St. Louis Cardinals did it again. They made us believe one more time before being completely embarrassed by the under-.500 Baltimore Orioles. The two losses were uninspiring, even though the second came after a seven-run comeback still fell short. Picking the positive spots in the past week has been difficult, and it is time to truly start working towards the future.

The postseason is tumbling out of grasp, and the last month of the season should be used to begin the evaluation period for the 2027 roster. As they have done in year's past with Masyn Winn and Jimmy Crooks, the Cardinals may use September to get some prospects' feet wet, but they should be using the month to get final answers on their position players like Thomas Saggese. The former Texas League MVP has had his big league opportunities, but with a lack of consistency, he has been withering away in Memphis waiting for one more shot.

Thomas Saggese does all the things the Cardinals' current utility guys do, but has the potential to do it better for longer

The Cardinals acquired Saggese from the Texas Rangers at the 2023 trade deadline when the Rangers were building up for their postseason run. St. Louis sent Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton to Texas and received Saggese, John King, and Tekoah Roby in the return. While John King made the most immediate impact, Saggese and Roby were seen as the more exciting players and the infielder made the deal look like a major win for the Cardinals.

Saggese laid waste to Double-A pitching in 2023 and was named the Texas League MVP after putting up an OPS nearing .900 with a .313 batting average and 15 homers. He ended the season in Triple-A and spent the majority of the 2024 season with Memphis, where he popped another 20 homers while spending time at second, shortstop, and third. That season brought on the beginning of Saggese's shuffling between St. Louis and Memphis as he got his first taste of the bigs as a September call-up. The 18-game stint was a struggle for the 22-year-old, but he showed versatility in the field and an aggressiveness at the plate that showed he could eventually become a useful piece in the majors.

Since then, Saggese has appeared in 114 games for the big league club and hit a total of four homers while putting up a .225 batting average and striking out nearly 30% of the time. His 2026 stay in the majors lasted a total of 32 games, as he has again spent the majority of the season working on his consistency at the plate. With Memphis this season, Saggese has hit 10 homers and trimmed his strikeout rate to 22.5% and has walked 10.4% of the time. His .258 batting average is mediocre, but he has played all over the diamond with positive results.

Currently, the big league Cardinals are rolling with Jose Fermin and Bryan Torres to fill their multi-position roles. Each player has been fine in limited time, with Fermin having more success of the two. However, neither guy packs much offensive potential beyond putting the ball in play. While valuable, they do not have enough speed to make a difference on the bases or make highlight reel plays in the field. Even though Saggese strikes out far too much, he is much faster than both players and has the power potential to make a difference in the bottom of the order.

With the last month of the season looking like it will have little impact on the final standings, there is the opportunity for Saggese to become a near-everyday player for the rest of the year. Since he can play multiple positions, he can fill in for JJ Wetherholt at short until Masyn Winn returns, as well as form a platoon with Bryan Torres or Nolan Gorman at third. Saggese has expanded his glove collection with an outfield glove this season and he could work in tandem to fill left field when needed.

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