A reason to cheer for the Cardinals’ new recruit. Also: Warning signals in Sacramento
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If you’re not for the Cardinals’ newest roster, we’re going to change that today. Also: Ken on Preller and the Padres, we have record-breaking home runs and Sacramento: Don’t say you weren’t warned. I’m Levi Weberhere with Ken Rosenthal — Welcome to The Windup!
Introductions: Thomas Saggese’s incredible story
Thomas Saggese made his Cardinals debut last night. The 22-year-old, acquired from the Rangers in the Jordan Montgomery trade last year, was ranked No. 4 on Keith Law’s Cardinals prospect list, but… why are we leading the newsletter with him?
But its story has more to offer.
I spoke with Saggese during spring training in 2022 and he mentioned that he struggled with anxiety as a child in Carlsbad, California – and for an understandable reason:
“Yes, I experienced a shooting in third grade,” he said. “A shooting in my school. That kind of triggered (the fear).”
All survived, although several children were shot. Thomas said his parents, Tom and Wendi Saggese, were crucial to his recovery, as they enrolled him in a program with author Byron Katie (whose work Saggese said he still uses to learn how to deal with tough days early in his career).
All the while, he played baseball and said his mother was his biggest supporter, constantly helping him find ways to improve. She also worked as a speaker, coach and consultant, focusing on finding new perspectives to navigate difficult situations. And then her videos began to cover a new topic: living with terminal cancer.
She died when Thomas was 17.
“Honestly, a very good mother,” Saggese told me in 2022. “A good person. We were really close. She kind of held our family together. Definitely my favorite person ever.”
Due to his mother’s illness and death, Saggese missed many baseball shows during his senior year of school. More than one person on the Rangers said he would not have been available in the fifth round of the 2020 draft if he had shown his strengths.
When you talk to baseball people about Saggese, a few sentences become increasingly clear: “Retrospective”, “Old School”, “plays properly”, “Old Soul”, “that’s my type” And “Glue Type“ are some of the things I have heard time and again from members of the management team and former teammates.
Well, now there is a new one you can use: “big league player.”
Ken’s notebook: The 2024 Padres are Preller’s most impressive team yet
Out of my latest column:
Tell AJ Preller this is his best team, his best job as general manager, and he would probably object. The 2024 San Diego Padres are a good 82-64. The 2023 Padres were, at least on paper, better.
But the game isn’t played on paper, not even on the precious laptop of your favorite analytics-obsessed manager. The failure of the 1923 Padres, who finished 82-80 and failed to make the playoffs, will endure as one of baseball’s great mysteries. The success of the 1924 club without Juan Soto, Blake Snell, Josh Hader, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha also contains its share of unknowns.
This much is clear: Preller, making trades at his usual breakneck pace, built a deeper roster and a more functional offense despite entering the season with a payroll nearly $85 million lower than last year. The 2024 Padres aren’t just a collection of stars. They’re a team peppered with complementary pieces. And Preller seems to get along far better with this year’s manager, Mike Shildt, than he did with last year’s manager, Bob Melvin.
It’s too early to celebrate the Padres, who were 50-49 at the All-Star break and are 12-11 since a 19-4 run that elevated their season. But they entered Tuesday with the NL’s best wild card, with playoff chances above 90 percent. In the postseason, an offense that again includes Fernando Tatis Jr., a rotation bolstered by the return of Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish, and a bullpen bolstered by trades for Jason Adam, Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing at the deadline would make the team a real World Series threat.
Preller’s management style has been a problem in the past, but his aggressiveness in the transfer market is perhaps the Padres’ greatest competitive advantage, and his work in assembling this group has been a particular tour de force. Returning five players from the New York Yankees for Soto and Trent Grisham laid the foundation and produced Michael King, one of the game’s best starters since early May; Kyle Higashioka, a catcher who is having the best offensive season of his career; and top-100 prospect Drew Thorpe, a pitcher who became the centerpiece of a deal in March for another top starter, Dylan Cease.
Next came the signing of Luis Arraez in early May, a turning point for an offense that had already seen more touches with the arrival of Rookie of the Year candidate Jackson Merrill, the rare talent Preller refused to trade, and the return of Jurickson Profar, a million-dollar free agent bargain. Arraez may be just above replacement level from an analytical standpoint due to his defensive deficiencies on the right side of the infield. But as a first hitter, he sets the tone with his energy and approach. Merrill and Profar also bring energy, and Merrill, arguably the team’s MVP, is a big improvement over Grisham in center.
Read more here.
Bill Streicher / USA Today
Record holder: Schwarber and Machado hit home runs
We had two record-breaking home runs last night!
Kyle Schwarber was the first to hit his 14th home run of the year as the Phillies beat the Rays 9-4 (on a night when the benches were empty in Philadelphia), setting an MLB single-season record (previously held by Alfonso Soriano: 13 in 2003). Schwarber later left the game with a hyperextended elbow, but Phillies manager Rob Thomson indicated he expects his hitter back in the lineup tomorrow.
Later, Manny Machado hit a home run in the Padres’ 7-3 win over Seattle. It was his 164th home run with the Padres – a franchise record that surpassed none other than (did you know?) Nate Colbert. If that sounds low for a franchise record, you’re not wrong. It’s the lowest in baseball. Here are the next three lowest totals – and two of those teams didn’t join the league until 1998:
29. Arizona Diamondbacks: Luis Gonzalez (224)
28. New York Mets: Darryl Strawberry (252)
27. Tampa Bay Rays: Evan Longoria (261)
The top three, which are much easier to guess, are as follows:
1. Atlanta Braves: Henry Aaron (733)
2. New York Yankees: Babe Ruth (659)
3. San Francisco Giants: Willie Mays (646)
Red flags: The A’s are already ignoring Sacramento?
As anyone in Oakland can tell, A’s owner John Fisher isn’t particularly sentimental about his team’s fans, nor the city they live in. After the embarrassing, multi-year debacle that resulted in the team moving (we’re pretty sure it would eventually go to Las Vegas), the plan currently is to play home games in Sacramento until the new stadium is ready. But wait…
- The first indication that Sacramento would be treated with no more respect than Oakland (where the team has played since 1968) came when it was announced that the team would temporarily no longer be known as the “Sacramento Athletics.” They would simply be called “The Athletics” or “The A’s.”
If the city of Sacramento were my boyfriend and the A’s were someone he was dating, the term “red flags” would come up.
- Another example of this was this report yesterday from Jason Burke of Sports Illustrated, which states: The A’s have reserved the right to play possible playoff games at a location other than Sacramento. if it comes to that.
In other words, when it comes to the proverbial wedding, Sacramento may not be the right company.
On paper, it makes sense. Would the A’s want to limit the crowd for a playoff game to 14,000? Probably not. And as Evan Drellich notes here, an alternate location could make sense for all three parties involved – the league, the team and the players – since playoff tickets also affect the bonus pool for the team.
Sacramento: If you both know what you’re getting into… then just don’t get too attached, I think.
More Oakland Coliseum: Melissa Lockard tells us what’s next for the Coliseum, including hosting soccer games.
More A’s: They beat the Astros last night in 12 innings at three straight bunts!
Luis Arraez: No-K series 👀
Five at-bats, zero strikeouts. The streak now includes 120 at-bats.
Handshakes and high fives
(Top photo: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)
