With one week left in September, baseball season is quickly coming to a close. Several MLB teams already have their postseason spots locked down, while several others, such as Michael Busch's Chicago Cubs, fight to reach professional baseball's greatest tournament.
Particularly for teams already eliminated from postseason contention, September is a great time to call up top organizational prospects and test their MLB readiness. One AL Central team, which is now 11 games below .500, gave a former UNC baseball star his first show at The Show.
Power-hitting first baseman Aaron Sabato, who anchored North Carolina's 2019 run to the Chapel Hill Super Regional vs. Auburn, got called up by the Minnesota Twins on Monday.
Sabato made his debut that same
day for Minnesota, starting at first base and going 0-3 at the plate in a 5-2 loss. The Twins have five more games, two at San Francisco and three vs. the AL West-leading Texas Rangers, giving Sabato plenty more chances to make a great, first impression and snag that elusive first hit.
𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐨 🔥
— Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) September 21, 2026
Congrats on the call up @SabatoAaron!! Go be great!! https://t.co/wmpW3CXUwV pic.twitter.com/YYDgmlL0sX
Sabato delivered an instant impact during his first campaign in Chapel Hill, setting the Diamond Heels' freshman record with 18 home runs. With a .343 batting average, 63 runs batted in and a .696 slugging percentage, Sabato led the Diamond Heels one step away from Omaha with his power bat.
After Sabato watched his sophomore 2020 season get cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Twins selected him 27th overall in that year's MLB Draft, continuing UNC's long tradition of first-round picks.
Just over six years later, Sabato's patient journey through the minor leagues finally paid off. Here's to a long MLB career ahead for the former Diamond Heel.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Former UNC baseball slugger gets long-awaited MLB call-up
