Rangers Top 30 Prospect Wraps: Thomas Saggese

Taken straight out of high school, Thomas Saggese is working his way quickly through the Texas Rangers organization.

InsidetheRangers.com will review each of the Texas Rangers’ Top 30 prospects, as ranked by MLB.com at the end of the 2022 season.

No. 19: IF Thomas Saggese, Hickory Crawdads (High Class-A); Frisco RoughRiders (Double-A)

Statistics for 2022: Saggese played 103 total minor league games, batting .312/.361/.506/.867 (125-for-401) with 61 runs, 203 total bases, 23 doubles, four triples, 15 home runs and 70 RBI. He walked 30 times and struck out 97 times. He stole 12 bases and was caught stealing three times. He primarily played shortstop and third base and was charged with eight errors in 352 total chances.

Season Transactions: Assigned to Hickory from Down East on April 8. Moved to Hickory’s 7-day injured list on Aug. 24. Activated on Sept. 4. Promoted to Frisco on Sept. 13.

Season Summary: Saggese has now played in three teams in the Rangers organization in two seasons. He was one of Hickory’s most consistent players all season, but it wasn’t until his debut in Frisco that he earned a league player of the week award. He was the Texas League Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 18 and helped the RoughRiders win the Texas League title. He hie .308 in 98 games for Hickory but hit .381 with one home run and nine RBI in his five regular-season games with the RoughRiders.

Path Through the Organization: Saggese was the Rangers’ final pick in the truncated 2020 MLB Draft and he was coming straight out of high school. So, the Rangers started him in at Low Class-A Down East in 2021 and he batted .256/.372/.463 with 10 homers and 11 steals in 73 games.

What’s next: Given his progress, Saggese feels like a lock to start the season at Frisco. If the past two seasons are an indication, he could be set for a jump to Triple-A Round Rock in 2023. For what it’s worth, MLB.com projects him as a 2024 MLB call-up. The question is where? Like many infielders in the Rangers system, the parent club is populated by players that seem entrenched at their positions. His quality play and age make him potential trade bait this offseason and beyond.

2022 Texas Rangers Top 30 Prospect Wraps:

No. 30: Josh Stephan | No. 29: Mason Englert | No. 28: Marc Church | No. 27: Danyer Cueva | No. 26: Alejandro Osuna | No. 25: Zak Kent | No. 24: Dane Acker | No. 23: Avery Weems | No. 22: Emiliano Teodo | No. 21: Jonathan Ornelas | No. 20: Gleider Figuereo |

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