Thomas Darren Saggese (sə-JAY-see; born April 10, 2002) is an American professional baseball infielder for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.
| Thomas Saggese | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).png) Saggese with the Hickory Crawdads in 2022 | |
| St. Louis Cardinals – No. 25 | |
| Infielder | |
| Born: April 10, 2002 Carlsbad, California, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 10, 2024, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics (through 2024 season) | |
| Batting average | .204 |
| Home runs | 1 |
| Runs batted in | 4 |
| Teams | |
| |
Amateur career
editSaggese attended Carlsbad High School in Carlsbad, California. As a junior in 2019, he hit .422 with 10 home runs over 102 at-bats.[1] He batted .440 with three home runs over seven games in 2020 before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] He was selected by the Texas Rangers in the fifth round with the 145th overall pick in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft.[3][4] He signed with the club for $800,000, forgoing his commitment to play college baseball at Pepperdine University.[5]
Professional career
editTexas Rangers
editSaggese made his professional debut in 2021 with the Down East Wood Ducks of the Low-A East, batting .256 with 10 home runs, 37 RBI, and 11 stolen bases over 73 games.[6] He opened the 2022 season with the Hickory Crawdads of the High-A South Atlantic League, where he was named the Rangers' Minor League Player of the Month for July.[7] He was promoted to the Frisco RoughRiders of the Double-A Texas League for the seasons final week and playoffs.[8] Over 103 games between the two teams, he slashed .312/.361/.506 with 15 home runs, 70 RBI, 25 doubles, and 12 stolen bases.[9] Saggese received the Texas Rangers 2022 True Ranger Award, and was named to the South Atlantic League postseason All-Star Team.[10][11] He returned to Frisco to open the 2023 season.[12]
St. Louis Cardinals
editOn July 30, 2023, Saggese, John King, and Tekoah Roby were traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton.[13] He was assigned to the Springfield Cardinals of the Double-A Texas League before being promoted to the Memphis Redbirds of the Triple-A International League in early September.[14] Over 139 games played, Saggese slashed .306/.374/.530 with 26 home runs, 111 RBI, and 34 doubles.[15]
After the season, he won the 2023 Texas League Most Valuable Player Award.[16]
On September 10, 2024, Saggese was selected to the 40-man roster, promoted, and made his MLB debut against the Cincinnati Reds in replacement of Brendan Donovan, who was out due to a foot injury.[17]
References
edit- ^ "'I've flown under the radar': Explaining Rangers' surprising Day 2 draft picks". The Athletic.
- ^ "North County players Thomas Saggese, Braden Olthoff rising in MLB Draft". June 10, 2020.
- ^ "Rangers pick four in Day 2 of MLB Draft". June 12, 2020.
- ^ "The Coast News Group". June 18, 2020.
- ^ "Rangers ink Roby, Saggese; all 5 picks signed". MLB.com.
- ^ "30 Young Minor League Hitters Looking to Build on 2021 Success". March 3, 2022.
- ^ "Rangers announce Minor League Award winners for July". MLB.com.
- ^ RotoWire, Staff (September 12, 2022). "Rangers' Thomas Saggese: Climbs to Double-A". CBSSports.com.
- ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season canceled". MLB.com.
- ^ Bigley, Zach (October 3, 2022). "Former Riders sweep 2022 Rangers MiLB awards". MiLB.com. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ Resnick, Jacob (November 9, 2022). "High-A award winners and All-Stars". MiLB.com. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ "Where the Rangers' Top 30 prospects are starting season". MLB.com.
- ^ Anderson, R. J. "Jordan Montgomery trade: Rangers grab another starter, Cardinals get three prospects in deal, per report". CBSSports.com.
- ^ "Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Promoted to Triple-A". CBSSports.com. September 8, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Glaser, Kyle (September 27, 2023). "2023 Baseball America Minor League All-Star Teams". College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Trezza, Joe. "The 2023 Double-A All-Stars and Award Winners". Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ Perry, Dayn (September 10, 2024). "Cardinals promote top prospect Thomas Saggese to majors for MLB debut". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference (Minors)