The Cardinals are let the kids to play, but not every elite prospect.
The St. Louis Cardinals continued to look ahead by elevating one of their top prospects, Thomas Saggese, to the majors on Tuesday. This is a thrilling promotion for Cardinals fans not only because he is a promising prospect, but also because he was a key component of the Jordan Montgomery deal at the 2023 trade deadline.
Saggese should receive plenty of run down the stretch to show that he belongs in their 2025 ambitions. This makes a lot of sense for a Cardinals team that enters Tuesday’s action at 72-71, 6.5 games behind the third Wild Card berth with 19 games remaining.
Their season is almost over, so playing with the kids should be the priority. The problem with this move, however, is that Victor Scott II, another outstanding prospect, was demoted back to the minors. The Cardinals are allowing one child to play down the stretch but not another.
Victor Scott II demotion shows what Cardinals really think of him
Scott was given the opportunity to be the center fielder of the present and future, with Tommy Edman and Dylan Carlson both starting the season on the IL, but he failed to demonstrate his worthiness. He recorded only five hits in his first 59 at-bats (.085), which led to his relegation to Triple-A less than a month later. He was demoted ahead of Jordan Walker, who was struggling.
He was recalled in August when Michael Siani was placed on the injured list, and he was given an opportunity to play frequently, but he only had 10 hits in 81 at-bats (.222 average) with a.629 OPS. He has lately lost playing time to Siani, who has returned from the IL, which is why he was moved down to Triple-A.
Optioning Scott since he was not playing regularly in the majors makes a lot of sense. As John Mozeliak stated only a few weeks ago, top prospects must play on a regular basis if they want to make the majors. The question worth addressing, however, is why Scott cannot play every day.
Siani is a great defender and a fast runner, but he can’t hit. This season, he has an OPS of.598 and more sacrifice bunts (11) than extra-base hits (10). Sure, he’s only 25 and under team control, but he wasn’t regarded as a high prospect and has a.698 OPS in his minor league career. Can Scott not play ahead of him in games with little consequence when the team is practically out of contention? Are the Cardinals truly committed to Siani as a starter in 2025 and beyond?
The Cardinals promoted Saggese with the expectation of him playing regularly. They recently recalled Jordan Walker, who has been playing consistently. Walker hasn’t even torn the cover off the ball since his recall, but he’s in the lineup (as he should). Scott was recently regarded as one of the organization’s top prospects, but he is unable to play ahead of Siani in non-important games.
Scott playing frequently in Triple-A is preferable to sitting on the bench in the majors, but he should be in the lineup on a regular basis. The fact that he isn’t getting opportunities when other top prospects do is telling, and it tells a lot about what John Mozeliak and his team think of him.
