ST. LOUIS — It had not yet hit Thomas Saggese, as he stood in front of his new locker and a freshly minted No. 25 St. Louis Cardinals jersey, that he was a major leaguer.
“Definitely nerves, excitement,” Saggese said with a grin. “But it’s good to get thrown in the fire.”
The Cardinals selected Saggese, ranked as the No. 4 prospect in the organization by The Athletic’s Keith Law, and placed him on the active roster before Tuesday’s series opener against the Cubs. He batted seventh and played shortstop in his major-league debut, going 0-for-4 in the Cardinals’ 3-0 loss to the Reds.
It was an inauspicious debut, but the Cardinals are far more interested in seeing what Saggese can bring to the table over the long term. After clubbing 20 homers with a .751 OPS and seeing time at second, third and shortstop, Saggese will now have an opportunity to showcase his skills in what will be used as an early evaluation heading into 2025.
Roster Move: INF Thomas Saggese has been selected from Memphis (AAA). He will be making his Major League debut and will wear #25.
OF Victor Scott II has been optioned to Memphis. pic.twitter.com/2FOAe6Llwz
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) September 10, 2024
Saggese will provide infield depth, which the organization needs. Masyn Winn and Alec Burleson have set their career-highs for games played. Brendan Donovan missed two games with a toe infection before being cleared to play Tuesday. Saggese’s utility skill set allows for a rotation of rest days for all three young players. That flexibility superseded the team’s need for a reserve outfielder, which led to Victor Scott II being optioned to Triple-A Memphis as the corresponding move.
“We need an extra infielder here is the bottom line,” manager Oli Marmol said when asked why Scott was optioned.
Saggese on his offense ahead of his MLB debut: “A couple things just worked well. Nothing crazy. Just seeing the ball better. And that’s just kind of how this game works I think.”
Marmol on Saggese: “A gritty player, man. … We’re looking forward to seeing it at this level.” pic.twitter.com/G0u0rh5jp9
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) September 10, 2024
Scott’s demotion comes after he spent the past six weeks with the Cardinals. He was recalled from Memphis in early August when Michael Siani suffered an oblique strain as he was the only player on the team’s 40-man roster who could play a strong center field. He hit just .233 with a .656 OPS as a starter in August, but providing quality defense was the priority. However, the Cardinals identified multiple areas where Scott could improve defensively, with the two most glaring being his initial read of the ball off contact and the effectiveness of the his routes. Soon after, Scott began working with coach Willie McGee before each game to improve his footwork and fundamentals.
When Siani was activated off the injured list, the club retained Scott on the roster even though his playing time would be cut, citing Scott’s work with McGee as instrumental to unlocking the next step in his game. The Cardinals’ lack of a roving instructor to help with outfielders in the minor leagues also played into the decision.
“If we can get Victor to continue working on his first step, his direction and routes … his closing speed is incredible,” Marmol said in early September. “Now we’ll have a really elite defender.”
Now that both the Cardinals (and more importantly, Scott) have identified what to focus on, the organization is comfortable sending him back to Triple-A, where he’ll play every day.
“Playing center field and working on visually getting off the ball better, your first step direction being where it needs to be and your routes being efficient, it doesn’t matter what level you’re at to work on that,” Marmol said. “You can work on it, and then you have to actually implement it. If you’re going to play one or two times a week, that’s hard to do.”
Scott’s tantalizing speed and defensive promise made him an enticing prospect. And given the Cardinals’ lack of outfield depth in center field, he seems like a logical choice as the team’s next starting center fielder. What St. Louis was not counting on was Siani’s surprising breakout season. Despite beginning the year as fifth on the Cardinals’ outfield depth chart, Siani will finish the year as one of baseball’s best overall defenders regardless of position. He’ll miss being eligible for Gold Glove consideration by two innings. (Rawlings Gold Glove award eligibility states that a player must have recorded at least 698 defensive innings before his team’s 138th game; Siani had recorded 696.)
Siani’s emergence bought the Cardinals time to continue with Scott’s development. Both times Scott was brought up from Triple A was out of dire need. While Scott’s ceiling remains high, he needs fine-tuning on both sides of the ball to reach his potential. Siani represents the most effective all-around centerfielder, at least for now.
With less than three weeks remaining in the regular season and playoffs a fever dream, finding avenues for young players to best hone their development makes sense for St. Louis. For Scott, that chance will come in Triple A. For Saggese, it will now be in the major leagues.
(Photo of Thomas Saggese: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)
