Thomas Saggese
American baseball player (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thomas Darren Saggese (/səˈdʒeɪsiː/ sə-JAY-see;[1] born April 10, 2002) is an American professional baseball utility player for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.
| Thomas Saggese | |
|---|---|
Saggese with the Cardinals in 2024 | |
| St. Louis Cardinals – No. 25 | |
| Utility player | |
| 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 April 10, 2026) | |
| Batting average | .251 |
| Home runs | 3 |
| Runs batted in | 31 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
Amateur career
Saggese attended Carlsbad High School in Carlsbad, California. As a junior in 2019, he hit .422 with 10 home runs over 102 at-bats.[2] He batted .440 with three home runs over seven games in 2020 before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
Professional career
Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers selected Saggese in the fifth round with the 145th overall pick in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft.[4][5] He signed with the club for $800,000, forgoing his commitment to play college baseball at Pepperdine University.[6]
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Saggese 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.[7] 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.[8] He was promoted to the Frisco RoughRiders of the Double-A Texas League for the season's final week and playoffs.[9] Over 103 games between the two teams, he slashed .312/.361/.506 with 15 home runs, 70 RBI, 25 doubles, and 12 stolen bases.[10] Saggese received the Texas Rangers 2022 True Ranger Award, and was named to the South Atlantic League postseason All-Star Team.[11][12] He returned to Frisco to open the 2023 season.[13]
St. Louis Cardinals
On July 30, 2023, the Rangers traded Saggese, John King, and Tekoah Roby to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton.[14] 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.[15] Over 139 games played, Saggese slashed .306/.374/.530 with 26 home runs, 111 RBI, and 34 doubles.[16] After the season, he won the 2023 Texas League Most Valuable Player Award.[17]
Saggese spent a majority of the 2024 season with Memphis, hitting .253 with twenty home runs and 67 RBI over 125 games.[18] 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.[19] In 18 appearances for the Cardinals during his rookie campaign, Saggese batted .204/.250/.306 with one home run and four RBI.
Saggese was optioned to Triple-A Memphis to begin the 2025 season.[20] He played in 42 games for Memphis and hit .317 with five home runs. The Cardinals promoted Saggese to the major leagues on April 2 when Nolan Gorman went on the injured list.[21] Saggese appeared in 82 games for the Cardinals during the season, appearing at third base, second base, and shortstop, and hit .258 with two home runs and 25 RBI.[22]
Saggese made the Cardinals' Opening Day roster in 2026.[23]
International career
Saggese played for Team Italy in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.[24]
