Frogs In The Pros: Sacco Drafted By Houston Astros
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After getting drafted in the 14th round of the MLB Draft, Tommy Sacco is set to join the Houston Astros organization.
The 23-year-old shortstop from Gilbert, Arizona played three seasons with TCU following a two-year stint with Yavapai Community College. In his time as a Horned Frog, Sacco hit for .297 with 16 home runs and 98 RBIs and won two Big12 Championships with TCU. Despite struggling in 2021, his achievements in 2022 earned him a spot on the 1st-team All-Big 12 and the 1st-team Academic All-Big 12. Additionally, his outstanding performance in the College Station Regional saw him named to the 2022 NCAA College Station All-Regional Team.
Tommy Sacco
Barry Lewis
This past season was Sacco’s best by far as he hit .355 hitting 14 home runs and driving in 58 RBIs, and as he leaves the Horned Frogs on top, he joins a Houston Astros organization that continues to show the baseball world they are a contending team for years to come.
As for the MLB draft, Sacco explained, “The whole process of it was up and down because there was so much uncertainty about what was actually going to happen.” In regards to not being drafted on either of the first two days, “realizing it was out of my control at this point helped, but it was still stressful no matter what,” he said. Before getting the call on Day Three, Sacco was at home playing card games with his family attempting to avoid any talk about the draft, but the stress that had been plaguing him for the last 48 hours turned into elation and delirium when he got the call on Sunday.
“All of a sudden, the Astros called and the next thing I knew, I was drafted and it was an awesome feeling… it feels amazing because it has been something that I have been waiting for over the past six years,” explained Sacco.
What was especially memorable about being drafted were the messages he received soon after being drafted including congratulations from TCU Baseball manager Kirk Saarloos and previous TCU manager and current Aggies coach Jim Schlossnagle.
With an exciting road ahead of him, Sacco is looking forward to working with the Astros, explaining, “This is as ready as I have ever been to starting my professional career.” In the coming days, he is set to join the Astros organization in West Palm Beach, Florida. Sacco has also spent the last few days reflecting on his time at TCU and explained, “It prepared me to perform like a professional and not take anything for granted.” Additionally, Sacco believes a crucial moment of growth in his career was learning how to deal with failure along the way.
He added, “The best part for me is that I have endured struggles that have set back my career already. I know how to handle it and I have shown I know how to do it.”
As Sacco has shown over the last three years, he has the skills and the character to achieve his goals and develop into the ballplayer he wants to be. Understanding the challenge of climbing the ranks in the minors, Sacco understands that while some matters may be out of his control, he is keen on the opportunity to compete and pursue his dream as a professional athlete and baseball player.
Earlier this summer, I interviewed Sacco for my podcast, Between the Lines with Ian Napetian. We talked about the his time at TCU and anticipating the MLB Draft. Here is the full interview:
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