Texas Rangers The
Texas Rangers selected Saggese in the fifth round with the 145th overall pick in the
2020 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the club for $800,000, forgoing his commitment to play
college baseball at
Pepperdine University. in 2022 Saggese made his professional debut in 2021 with the
Down East Wood Ducks of the
Low-A East, batting .256 with 10 home runs, 37 RBI, and 11 stolen bases over 73 games. He opened the 2022 season with the
Hickory Crawdads of the
High-A South Atlantic League, where he was named the Rangers' Minor League Player of the Month for July. He was promoted to the
Frisco RoughRiders of the
Double-A Texas League for the season's final week and playoffs. Over 103 games between the two teams, he
slashed .312/.361/.506 with 15 home runs, 70 RBI, 25 doubles, and 12 stolen bases. Saggese received the Texas Rangers 2022 True Ranger Award, and was named to the South Atlantic League postseason All-Star Team. He returned to Frisco to open the 2023 season.
St. Louis Cardinals On July 30, 2023, the Rangers traded Saggese,
John King, and
Tekoah Roby to the
St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for
Jordan Montgomery and
Chris Stratton. He was assigned to the
Springfield Cardinals of the Double-A Texas League before being promoted to the
Memphis Redbirds of the
Triple-A International League in early September. Over 139 games played, Saggese
slashed .306/.374/.530 with 26 home runs, 111 RBI, and 34 doubles. After the season, he won the 2023
Texas League Most Valuable Player Award. Saggese spent a majority of the 2024 season with Memphis, hitting .253 with twenty home runs and 67 RBI over 125 games. On September 10, 2024, Saggese was selected to the
40-man roster, promoted, and made his MLB debut against the
Cincinnati Reds in replacement of
Brendan Donovan, who was out due to a foot injury. In 18 appearances for the Cardinals during his rookie campaign, Saggese batted .204/.250/.306 with one home run and four RBI. Saggese was optioned to Triple-A Memphis to begin the 2025 season. He played in 42 games for Memphis and hit .317 with five home runs. The Cardinals promoted Saggese to the major leagues on April 2 when
Nolan Gorman went on the injured list. Saggese appeared in 82 games for the Cardinals during the season, appearing at third base, second base, and shortstop, and hit .258 with two home runs and 25 RBI. Saggese made the Cardinals' Opening Day roster in 2026. ==International career==