Minor League Baseball
Former Ivy Leaguer Savage makes positive first impression with RailCats
Either way, the 23-year-old infielder quickly has made a mark.
“He’s impressed us these first few days,” manager Greg Tagert said. “He’s a confident young man, very intelligent, as you’d expect. You like to see that.”
The RailCats over the weekend signed Savage, who excelled at Columbia and spent two seasons in the Detroit Tigers organization. He took the roster spot of Randy Santiesteban, who went on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring.
Savage started at shortstop Wednesday when the RailCats played Winnipeg to close their season-high 10-game homestand.
Tagert will have a decision to make when Santiesteban returns from the DL. But Savage will head on the road with the RailCats as they begin a seven-game trip Thursday at Fargo-Moorhead.
Until last week, Savage had been in extended spring training with the Toronto Blue Jays, waiting to see if a spot with a full-season team in their system would open. It didn’t, and he was released.
Savage was home in the Bronx for a few days before catching a flight to join the RailCats.
“I knew the American Association was one of the best independent leagues, if not the best, and it was a good opportunity,” Savage said. “I was excited about it.
“It’s a new experience, it’s been good. It’s nice to meet a lot of guys with a lot of different experiences.”
Savage’s mother is from Singapore and her family moved to England. He was born in London before his family moved shortly after his first birthday to New York.
“I’ve been told if you have an opportunity to go, especially the type of league I was coming from, if you get a decent offer, it’s in your best interest to take it,” Savage said. “You’re younger, and you get more opportunity.”
Savage attended classes this past fall at Columbia and, with one semester remaining to complete his degree in biology, expected to return this fall.
The RailCats initially had been in contact with Savage when Santiesteban first hurt his hamstring last month in Kansas City.
“He had a wonderful college career, he had a chance to play in some big games,” Tagert said of Savage. “The Tigers thought enough of him to draft him that highly, and he got an opportunity with them, but it was limited.
“I don’t know how many other players coming out of Columbia are as highly regarded as he was. He’s a very athletic player. He’s the type of player we felt good about even though we hadn’t seen him.
“And now that we’ve had a chance to see him, the hustle and the demeanor, we’ve taken notice around here.”
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