photo: Thomas Saggese and Ben Johnson (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
Reviewing final results of all eight St. Louis Cardinals prospects who competed in the 2024 Arizona Fall League. Second baseman Thomas Saggese led the way.
Manager Ben Johnson’s Glendale Desert Dogs finished the 2024 Arizona Fall League season in a three-way tie for second place at 16-14, missing out on the postseason by the narrowest edge, the tiebreaker.
To conclude our annual coverage, it is time to review the results of the eight Cardinals prospects who participated in the showcase, three position players and five pitchers.
Thomas Saggese had a breakout performance in the AFL, named a Fall Star and the only Cardinal on the All-AFL Team. The second baseman slashed .391/.524/.591/1.118 with two home runs, 10 RBI and 16 walks in 82 plate appearances. He had a rough week to end the season, hitting 3-for-13 before missing the final four games after the Fall Stars Game while the Desert Dogs were pushing for a postseason spot.
Leonardo Bernal dealt with some growing pains, but the catcher turned his offensive results around in the final few weeks. He increased his batting average from .250 after four weeks to .304 at the end of the schedule and finished with a .764 OPS in 51 plate appearances after having a .692 mark through five weeks.
Nathan Church had a similar experience to Bernal but was more reliable throughout. The outfielder increased his batting average from .333 after four weeks to .364 at the close of the AFL. The left-handed hitter went 4-for-9 in his last two weeks to conclude with an .815 OPS in 58 plate appearances.
Ixan Henderson finished with a 1-1 record and a 4.50 ERA, by allowing six earned runs in 12 innings pitched, five of which came in a rough week five. The left-hander made two starts and three relief appearances with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.00, striking out 16 batters but walking eight.
Right-hander Trent Baker did not make an appearance in the final three weeks of the AFL schedule, finishing with a 2.57 ERA while allowing two hits and holding the opponents to a .091 batting average in his seven innings pitched over one start and two relief appearances.
In the final week, Alex Cornwell continued to improve, dropping his ERA from 5.40 to 4.66 thanks to his 1 ⅓ inning scoreless outing on November 12. Overall, Cornwell struck out nine in 9 ⅔ innings pitched over seven games, but hitters saw the ball well out of his hand as they hit .325 against him. Cornwell was not protected from the December 11 Rule 5 Draft, so he is eligible to be selected by another organization.
Matt Svanson finished the AFL with an 0-1 record while converting both his save opportunities. The right-hander logged a 5.91 ERA after allowing two runs in one inning in the final game on November 14. Swanson struggled with the longball, giving up three in just 10 ⅔ innings pitched in nine relief appearances, but he was fanning hitters left and right, with 15 strikeouts to just two walks. Earlier this week, Svanson was rewarded with a spot on St. Louis’ 40-man roster.
Lefty Brycen Mautz struggled in the AFL, with an 8.10 ERA, 11 strikeouts, and seven walks. In two separate outings in the final week, Mautz gave up three runs on three hits in two innings. Despite the high ERA, Mautz did not surrender any long balls in his 10 AFL innings pitched over eight appearances out of the bullpen.
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Ben Kinealy can be reached at bkinealy@mail.bradley.edu.
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