Why a demotion may be the best way to develop for key Cardinals position player

If we were putting together a 26-man roster for the St. Louis Cardinals strictly based on talent and merit, it's hard to find a world where Thomas Saggese wouldn't be on that roster.

But when you factor in the amount of playing time that may, or in this case, may not be available for him to start the year, it actually makes you wonder whether or not a trip back to Memphis may be best for his development, at least to start the year.

Saggese has been with Team Italy for the World Baseball Classic for the last few weeks, which isn't exactly helping his chances of making the Cardinals roster due to the lack of playing time he's getting with Team Italy and the fact that the Cardinals don't get a first-hand look at him. Ultimately, the Cardinals already have a feel for who Saggese the hitter and infielder is, but he was looking to make an impression on the coaching staff and front office with his ability to play in the outfield.

Even if Saggese was in camp, I'm not convinced that would actually mean that Saggese making the roster would be the right decision for manager Oliver Marmol and his staff.

Starting the year in Triple-A, rather than with the Cardinals, may be the best thing for Thomas Saggese's development

Let's start by laying out the Cardinals' plans at various positions, as that starts to paint the picture of that more limited opportunity that I was talking about.

1. The Cardinals' starting infield has been solidified for some time, with Alec Burleson (1B), JJ Wetherholt (2B), Masyn Winn (SS), and Nolan Gorman (3B) expected to garner the lion's share of opportunities to start the year. Gorman could potentially be overtaken at some point, but that's at least not happening early in the year.
2. When it comes to filling in for Wetherholt, Winn, or Gorman, Saggese could be part of that solution, but those starts will come rather infrequently, and the recent signing of Ramon Urias means he'll likely get a lot of those chances, so not exactly a clear path to playing time there either.
3. When you look at the outfield mix, Jordan Walker (RF) and Victor Scott II (CF) seem to have two of the spots locked down, and non-roster invitee Nelson Velázquez feels like the front-runner to play LF due to the right-handed power he offers that the Cardinals severely lack. Again, that could be a temporary thing, but it does feel like that will be the case to start the year.
4. Sure, Saggese could fill in at any of those three spots, as the Cardinals have had him get some outfield work in the corners and center field this spring, but he's barely been able to do that so far. Even if they already feel comfortable with him out there, I still expect both Scott and Walker to play most days, and a guy like Nathan Church or Jose Fermin could be an option for them out there as well.
5. What about the designated hitter spot? Sure, that could be an option, but most of us expect Ivan Herrera to see a good amount of time there, so again, not exactly a consistent opportunity.

If you combine the infrequent infield, outfield, and designated hitter opportunities, that could end up being a pretty regular role, but between other names like Fermin, Church, Urias, and Yohel Pozo getting chances as well, I'm not sure that would be completely true.

Saggese has yet to establish himself as a viable offensive option at the Major League level, which should also be noted. I'd like to see him have that opportunity, but through consistent at-bats. Last year, Saggese had times where he was playing consistently, and other times where he wasn't, and his 81 wRC+ in 295 plate appearances isn't much to write home about.

While I want to see Saggese play frequently, I'm not sure there's a lane for that in St. Louis to start the year. One could certainly open up quickly, but in the meantime, playing every day in Memphis does seem like a better way to help Saggese grow as a player, rather than sitting on the bench more often than not.

That's especially true when you consider that the Cardinals could get him frequent outfield starts in Memphis to continue to grow defensively out there, as well as keep his bat in the lineup daily so he's fresh and continuing to refine his game, even against Triple-A pitching. Then, when his number is called later in April, May, or June, he would be ready to rock and roll.