Rangers Top 30 Prospect Sets Career-High at Hickory
The Hickory Crawdads tied a franchise record with 21 runs scored last Sunday, and one of the Rangers’ Top 30 prospects had his own career game in the process.
Thomas Saggese, who is the Rangers’ No. 26 prospect per MLB.com, had his first grand slam and drove in a career-best six runs in the 21-6 victory over Asheville on June 5.
Saggese ended up going 3-for-6 in the game and even netted three stolen bases.
Through June 10, Saggese was batting .283 for the Crawdads, the Rangers’ High-A affiliate. He had five home runs, 29 RBI, six stolen bases and a hitting slash of .328/.433/.761.
The 20-year-old shortstop was the Rangers’ fifth-round pick in the 2020 Draft (No. 145 overall). He came to the Rangers directly from Carlsbad High School in Carlsbad, California. He spent the 2021 season with the Rangers’ Low A affiliate in Down East, where he hit .256 with 10 home runs and 37 RBI in 73 games.
He already has more than 400 professional at-bats.
The Rangers have a shortstop in Corey Seager, who is in the first year of a 10-year contract that is the richest in franchise history. While Hickory’s page lists him as a shortstop, MLB’s prospect page lists him as an infielder.
The Rangers have a large group of infielders ahead of Saggese. That includes two that are on the Rangers’ roster right now — Ezequiel Duran and Josh H. Smith. Duran is starting for the Rangers at third base, and Smith was starting at third base before an AC Joint injury to his shoulder last week, which led to Duran’s call-up.
Both Duran and Smith were part of the Joey Gallo trade last year. The third infielder that was par of that deal, Trevor Hauver, is No. 18 on the prospect list and is also at Hickory.
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