This story was excerpted from John Denton’s Cardinals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Already wispy-thin and often sporting a sleepy-eyed daze and a three-day-old beard, Thomas Saggese looked ready for some much-needed rest when his season — one he split between Triple-A Memphis and the Cardinals — came to an end in late September.
As it turns out, Saggese still had plenty of work to do in a year that has unquestionably set the course of his career.
Already one of the top prospects in the Cardinals’ organization, Saggese has firmed up the belief that he is ready to be an everyday starter at the big league level with some stellar play in the Arizona Fall League.
Saggese, 22, was an absolute no-brainer of a Fall Stars Game selection for the AFL showcase this past week. In 18 games this fall, the gritty middle infielder leads the league in on-base percentage (.524) and ranks third in batting average (.391), fourth in OPS (1.118) and fifth in slugging (.594). Not only has he smashed two home runs and seven doubles, but he’s walked (16) more times than he has struck out (15). Saggese’s only negative of the fall? He’s been thrown out trying to steal four times compared to three stolen bases.
Leave a Reply