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If you happen to aren’t rooting for the Cardinals’ latest call-up, I believe we’re going to alter that right now. Additionally: Ken on Preller and the Padres, we received record-breaking homers, and Sacramento: don’t say you weren’t warned. I’m Levi Weaver, right here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to The Windup!
Introductions: Thomas Saggese’s unimaginable story
Thomas Saggese debuted final evening with the Cardinals. Acquired from the Rangers within the Jordan Montgomery commerce final yr, the 22-year-old sat at No. 4 on Keith Legislation’s Cardinals prospects record, however … why are we main the e-newsletter with it?
Effectively, there’s extra to his story.
I spoke with Saggese throughout spring coaching in 2022, and he talked about battling nervousness as a child in Carlsbad, Calif. — and for an comprehensible cause:
“Yeah, I went by way of a capturing once I was in third grade,” he stated. “A capturing at my faculty. In order that kinda triggered (the nervousness).”
Everybody survived, although a number of kids have been shot. Thomas stated his dad and mom, Tom and Wendi Saggese, have been important to his restoration, enrolling him in a program with creator Byron Katie (whose work Saggese stated he nonetheless utilized in studying to cope with robust days early in his profession).
All of the whereas, he was enjoying baseball, and stated his mother was his greatest supporter, continuously serving to him discover methods to enhance. She additionally labored as a speaker, coach and advisor, with a deal with discovering new views to work by way of robust conditions. After which, her movies started to cowl a brand new subject: residing with stage 4 most cancers.
She handed away when Thomas was 17.
“An excellent mother, truthfully,” Saggese advised me in 2022. “An excellent particular person. We have been actually shut. She kinda tied our household collectively. Undoubtedly my favourite particular person ever.”
Because of his mother’s sickness and passing, Saggese missed plenty of baseball showcases throughout his senior yr. Multiple particular person with the Rangers advised that if he had showcased, he wouldn’t have been obtainable within the fifth spherical of the 2020 draft.
Speak to baseball people about Saggese, and some phrases begin to grow to be themes: “throwback,” “old-fashioned,” “performs the fitting approach,” “outdated soul,” “that’s my man” and “glue man” are some I heard on repeat from entrance workplace members and former teammates.
Effectively, now there’s a brand new one they’ll use: “huge leaguer.”
Ken’s Pocket book: 2024 Padres are Preller’s most spectacular staff but
From my newest column:
Inform A.J. Preller that is his finest staff, his finest job as normal supervisor, and he most likely would demur. The 2024 San Diego Padres, at 82-64, are good. The 2023 Padres, at the very least on paper, have been higher.
Ah, however the sport is just not performed on paper, and even the valuable laptop computer of your favourite analytically obsessed government. The failure of the ‘23 Padres, who completed 82-80 and didn’t make the playoffs, will endure as certainly one of baseball’s nice mysteries. The success of the ‘24 membership, with out Juan Soto, Blake Snell, Josh Hader, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, additionally incorporates its share of the unknowable.
This a lot is evident: Preller, making trades at his ordinary breakneck tempo, constructed a deeper roster and extra useful offense, regardless of opening the season with a payroll almost $85 million decrease than it was a yr in the past. The 2024 Padres aren’t merely a set of stars. They’re a staff, dotted with complementary elements. And Preller appears way more at peace with this yr’s supervisor, Mike Shildt, than he did with final yr’s, Bob Melvin.
It’s too quickly to have fun the Padres, who have been 50-49 on the All-Star break and are 12-11 since a 19-4 run that elevated their season. However they entered Tuesday holding the highest wild card within the NL, with playoff odds of higher than 90 %. Within the postseason, an offense once more together with Fernando Tatis Jr., a rotation strengthened by the returns of Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish and a bullpen bolstered by the trades for Jason Adam, Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing on the deadline would make the staff a official World Collection menace.
Preller’s administration type has been a difficulty up to now, however his aggressiveness within the commerce market is maybe the Padres’ greatest aggressive benefit, and his work in placing this group collectively was a specific tour de pressure. The five-player return from the New York Yankees for Soto and Trent Grisham supplied a basis, yielding Michael King, one of many sport’s high starters since early Might; Kyle Higashioka, a catcher having fun with a career-best offensive season; and top-100 prospect Drew Thorpe, a pitcher who turned the centerpiece of a deal in March for one more high starter, Dylan Stop.
Subsequent got here the acquisition of Luis Arraez firstly of Might, a transformative second for an offense that already was making larger contact with the arrival of Rookie of the Yr candidate Jackson Merrill, the uncommon prospect Preller declined to commerce, and return of Jurickson Profar, a $1 million cut price in free company. Arraez, due to his defensive shortcomings on the fitting facet of the infield, may be solely barely above alternative stage from an analytical perspective. However batting leadoff, he units a tone along with his vitality and strategy. Merrill and Profar additionally deliver vitality, and Merrill, arguably the staff’s MVP, is a significant improve over Grisham in heart.
Learn extra right here.
Invoice Streicher / USA At present
File Setters: Schwarber, Machado hit HR marks
We had two record-setting homers final evening!
Kyle Schwarber was first, hitting his 14th leadoff house run of the yr because the Phillies beat the Rays 9-4 (on an evening when benches cleared in Philadelphia). That set an MLB single-season file (beforehand owned by Alfonso Soriano: 13 in 2003). Schwarber later left the sport with a hyperextended elbow, however Phillies supervisor Rob Thomson indicated that he expects his slugger again within the lineup tomorrow.
Later, Manny Machado went deep within the Padres’ 7-3 win over Seattle. It was his 164th homer with the Padres — a franchise file, surpassing none aside from (do you know it?) Nate Colbert. If that sounds low for a franchise file, you’re not fallacious. It’s the bottom in baseball. Listed here are the subsequent three lowest totals — and two of those groups didn’t be a part of the league till 1998:
29. Arizona Diamondbacks: Luis Gonzalez (224)
28. New York Mets: Darryl Strawberry (252)
27. Tampa Bay Rays: Evan Longoria (261)
The highest three, that are a lot simpler 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)
Crimson Flags: A’s already snubbing Sacramento?
As anybody in Oakland can inform you, A’s proprietor John Fisher is just not significantly sentimental about his staff’s followers, nor the town through which they reside. After the embarrassing multiyear debacle that resulted within the staff leaving for (ultimately, we’re fairly certain) Las Vegas, the plan presently entails enjoying house video games in Sacramento till the brand new stadium is prepared. However wait …
- The primary clue that Sacramento could be handled with no extra deference than Oakland (the place the staff has performed since 1968) got here when it was introduced that the staff wouldn’t be briefly often called the “Sacramento Athletics.” They’ll simply be “The Athletics” or “The A’s.”
If the town of Sacramento was my good friend and the A’s have been somebody they have been courting, that is the place the time period “pink flags” would make an look.
- One other went up the flagpole yesterday with this report from Jason Burke at Sports activities Illustrated that the A’s have reserved the fitting to play any potential playoff video games someplace aside from Sacramento, if it involves that.
In different phrases, if there’s a proverbial wedding ceremony, Sacramento won’t be the plus-one.
On paper, it is smart. Would the A’s need to restrict the gate to 14,000 followers for a playoff sport? In all probability not. And as Evan Drellich factors out right here, an alternate web site may make sense for all three concerned entities — the league, the staff and the gamers — for the reason that playoff gate impacts the bonus pool for the staff, too.
Sacramento: If you happen to each know what you’re signing up for … simply don’t get hooked up, I assume.
Extra Oakland Coliseum: Melissa Lockard tells us what’s subsequent for the Coliseum, together with internet hosting soccer video games.
Extra A’s: They beat the Astros in 12 innings final evening on three straight bunts!
Luis Arraez No-Ok Streak 👀
5 plate appearances, zero strikeouts. The streak is as much as 120 plate appearances.
Handshakes and Excessive Fives
(High photograph: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Pictures)
