Who is the next St. Louis Cardinals super utility man?

The St. Louis Cardinals have a long and storied history of success in finding that "team first" guy. The glue that holds the team together. The emergency stopgap anywhere on the diamond. The "do anything" type of guy to be on the big club. The selflessness that endeared itself to 35,000 red-cladded Cardinal fans on a random Tuesday night in July. Ah, yes, the beloved utility guy.

Cardinals history of the utility player

It started for me with the legendary Tom Lawless bat flip home run in the '87 World Series. It was reinforced the following season when the Secret Weapon, Jose Oquendo, administered a little corrective reasoning, with the aid of HOFer Ozzie Smith, towards the hard-slidin' Will Clark of the Giants.

The '90s kicked off with the ever-enjoyable "Wonder Dog," Rex Hudler, playing eight different positions. The decade came to a close with three different fielders playing at least six positions: former Cubs star Shawon Dunston, David Howard, and an all-time fan favorite in Super Joe McEwing.

The tradition continued into the turn of the century with names like Paquette and Cairo. Hector Luna assisted with a couple of World Series visits, then Aaron Miles and Scott Spiezio won one in '06. Allen Craig helped deliver another title in 2011. Matt Carpenter picked up some Rookie of the Year votes while playing five positions in 2012.

Yairo Munoz hit the scene in 2018 with 108 games. before literally disappearing a couple of years later after a spring training injury. Tommy Edman grew into another fan favorite as a UT before winning a Gold Glove as a 2B in 2021. The following year, Brendan Donovan won the first-ever National League Utility Player Gold Glove Award. And rightly so that this award would go to a Cardinal in its inaugural season.

The trade market for Donovan is hot. As much as I would love to see him stick around and be that savvy veteran in the clubhouse for years to come, I don't know how Chaim Bloom can pass on the packages that "should" be offered his way. In the event offers don't pass the sniff test, buy out his arbitration years with a 6+ year deal and give him a permanent home out in the field. Either way, it is time to pass the torch onto a new super utility player.

Thomas Saggese

Saggese is the lead option to assume the role. Once he gets comfortable, all he does is hit. Drafted out of high school, he had some struggles with a .256 average in his first year. But he followed that up with .300+ averages at High A and AA ball.

Then he struggled in his first crack at Triple-A Memphis in 2023. But raised his average by 46 points in a full 2024 season again at Memphis. Last season, he figured it out, with a .317 average in between call-ups. In 2,076 plate appearances in the minors, his K rate was less than 24%, and he got an XBH every 10.7 PA. In St. Louis during the 2nd half of the season, he carried a .270 average over his final 54 games.

Defensively, he is around league average. I would like to see him get some OF reps in spring training to expand his opportunities with the club. The bat is what is going to pay his bills. He'll be a mainstay on the 26-man roster.

Jose Fermin

Fermin has started showing signs of advancing with the bat over the last two years in Memphis. Line-drive hitter with good contact and a little pop. The last two seasons in Memphis, he has had a batting average over .300 and an OBP over .420. Fermin has averaged an XBH every 10.5 AB with a K rate at 8.8% to go along with 38 SB in 126 games.

Fermin has had short stints with the Cards over the last three seasons. In 2025, his growth finally translated into solid numbers with the big club, albeit in a small sample size.

Good hands with a below-average arm. He has played all positions except C and 1B. Not a long-term solution at SS, but can handle it in short spurts. The high OBP, low K rate, and speed will always play well at the bottom of a lineup. Maybe a little Cardinal "devil magic" helps this late bloomer continue to grow.

Bryan Torres

Here is the sneaky play. All Torres does is hit, get on base, and steal some bags. I'm not sure what the problem has been getting him to the big leagues. Did he get yanked around by the Brewers organization for five years? Is it the 5'7 height? If so, Jose Altuve would like a word. Did I mention he has played all eight fielding positions at some point?

After he terrorized independent league pitching in '22 and '23, the Cards signed Torres to a minor league contract. That year in Springfield (AA), he slashed .331/.418/.416. Last season at Memphis was an even more impressive .328/.441/.461.

Even if this guy were to wear a concrete mitt in the field, let the Cards find a way to see if he can hit big league pitching. Great job getting him on a 40-man roster.

Finally, Noah Mendlinger is the only one not on the 40-man roster. Another 5'7 fella who has 3 years of college ball and 5 more in the minors, just looking for an opportunity. A lefty bat that slightly outhits lefties than RH arms. Offensive numbers are trending up as he climbed through the minors. A doubles guy who gets on base at a high rate and can play seven positions in the field. He'll be waiting in the wings as one of the next 40-man additions behind JJ Wetherholt.