With two hits in two games for the Glendale Desert Dogs, Cardinals prospect Thomas Saggese ended Tuesday as the Arizona Fall League’s leader in batting average with a .410 mark through 17 games.
Saggese’s efforts in the continuation of a rain-suspended game from Sunday and a regularly scheduled game, both of which were against the Scottsdale Scorpions, included a double in the continued game and a single in the latter. The double from the 22-year-old infield prospect was lined to left field with a 108.6 mph exit velocity, per Statcast.
The pair of hits gave Saggese 25 in 61 at-bats heading into Wednesday. He sits in third for most hits among AFL hitters. The only two players in the AFL with more hits than Saggese by the end of Tuesday were Tigers prospect Josue Briceño (28) and Rangers prospect Alejandro Osuna (26). Only Saggese and Briceño (.406) have batting averages above .400.
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Along with leading in batting average, Saggese’s .532 on-base percentage paces the AFL. Saggese, who drew a walk in the continued game, is fourth in on-base plus slugging percentage (1.155) and tied for fifth in total bases (38).
He was one of three Cardinals prospects to play on Tuesday for Glendale.
Catching prospect Leonardo Bernal entered the continued game in the top of the second inning as a pinch hitter for White Sox prospect Michael Turner and remained in the game at catcher. Bernal, 20, went hitless in three at-bats. All three of the balls he put in play had exit velocities above 95 mph, per Statcast. Two of those were hit above 100 mph.
The hitless game dropped Bernal to a .229 average and a .584 OPS through 10 games for the Desert Dogs.
Outfield prospect Nathan Church started in right field and batted second in Tuesday evening’s regularly scheduled game. Church, 24, collected one hit — a single with a 103 mph exit velocity — in three at-bats.
Church ended Tuesday with a .341 batting average and a .372 on-base percentage in 12 games.
