St. Louis Cardinals infielder Thomas Saggese has been a workhorse at every stop since coming over from the Texas Rangers in a trade that sent Jordan Montgomery to Arlington, who, in turn, won the World Series that year. While the Cardinals look to the youth the 23 soon to be 24 year old infielder looks to find his rhythm and role this year in the majors.
Although Saggese is an infielder, the Cardinals have a lack of right-handed bats across their roster and especially in the outfield. On the Cardinals' 40-man roster their are just two right-handed hitting outfielders, only one of which is expected to break camp with the big league club.
“Definitely something to for sure think about, and in spring training I’m sure take fly balls,” Saggese said when asked about the prospect of adding an outfield glove to his bag. The Cardinals' infielder would continue to say that he is taking reps in the outfield during batting practice because there is always a chance that he will be needed on the grass instead of the dirt.
After a strong 2023 where Saggese won the Texas League Most Valuable Player, he would move up to Triple-A and even got a taste of the majors in 2024. After two seasons, splitting time between Memphis and St. Louis, the Cardinals' second baseman looks forward to the openings in the lineup for the upcoming year.
“Definitely just kind of refining everything, and just getting to work. I try to focus on pitch selection as much as I can,” Saggese responded when asked if there were any specifics to his offseason training this winter. The Cardinals' infielder wants to keep his aggressive approach while being more careful in what pitches he chooses to attack.
Saggese has shown promise in the Cardinals' system, and with the team yet to sign a right-handed outfielder, he could be thrust into a position to bloom into one of the Cardinals' sure hands in the lineup as the team builds upon its youth and works toward creating a winning culture in the organization once more.
You can listen to Saggese's full interview alongside Michael McGreevy from Winter Warm Up on the STL Sports Central YouTube channel.