Drew Gagnon finally made it

Drew Gagnon was drafted as the 100th overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Brewers, after a very good college career at Long Beach state. For six years, he bounced up and down the Brewers’ system, never posting particularly remarkable peripherals or a particularly good ERA. After a year in Triple-A for the Angels in 2017, Gagnon made his way to the Mets on a minor league deal. Finally, On July 10th, seven years after being drafted, Gagnon made his major league debut, taking the mound against the Phillies at Citi Field.

It was an objectively bad debut performance. Gagnon gave up two home runs, seven hits, and six runs in 4.2 innings, though he did manage his first career RBI on a sacrifice fly. He returned in September to toss 7.1 innings of unremarkable relief, earning his first two career wins along the way. All in all, Gagnon’s Met season consisted of 12.0 major league innings with a 5.25 ERA and a 4.57 ERA over 157.2 innings for Triple-A Las Vegas.

Ultimately, Gagnon’s brief time on a bad Met team in 2018 is totally inconsequential. It’s the sort of performance that will pop up on a Sporcle quiz in five years and make you go ‘oh right, I totally forgot that guy existed.’ For the fans and the organization, nothing has changed because of Gagnon.

For the pitcher himself, nothing could be farther from the truth. Gagnon has spent most of his life working towards the goal of stepping on a major league mound, and while his performance, the game, and the team he pitched for were all irrelevant in the grand scheme of the 2018 season, Gagnon finally achieved his dream. It’s one of the more magical, underappreciated moments we as fans get to experience.

Going forward, Gagnon doesn’t figure to be a major part of the 2019 Mets, and might not even play in the majors again. But he finally made it, and he made it as a Met.