New York Mets: Drew Gagnon Year in Review

Drew Gagnon was a frequent member of the shuttle ride between Syracuse and the New York Mets during the 2019 season. His season started on a good track but quickly fell off the rails as his ERA ballooned towards double digits.

Gagnon’s first appearance of the season came in mop-up fashion during a 14-3 loss against the Philadelphia Phillies. He threw 5.1 innings to save the Mets from wasting arms after Steven Matz failed to get out of the first inning. After he returned to a usual bullpen role, but his past as a starting pitcher allowed the Mets to extend him during some outings.

Bullpen Success and Failure

With his excellent change-up, Gagnon seemed to settle into a role pitching out of the bullpen. In his next 11 outings, he had a 3.09 ERA in 11.2 innings pitched. Gagnon went five days without being used and could not find the same success he had prior. His next three outings resulted in allowing eight runs and a demotion to Syracuse on June 18.

One of the memorable parts of his season was clearing the benches when he drilled Ian Desmond in June after allowing two home runs to the Rockies. No one traded punches, but the intent of the beaning was clear.

The rest of Gagnon’s season ended with two appearances in August and one in September. One of the August outings resulted in the Atlanta Braves obliterating him for four home runs. He finished the year with an 8.37 ERA and leaving the Mets to play for the KIA Tigers in the Korean Baseball Association.

Grades:

Pitching Repertoire: C-, His fastball sat in the low 90s, but his change-up was his best pitch.

Control: A-, Walks were never something to worry about with Gagnon. 2.7 BB/9.

Composure: F, Hitters teed off on him in clutch situations and fell victim to multiple homer outings.

Intangibles: D

Overall: F, An abysmal season for Gagnon, it started with a lot of potential then ended in failure. Hopefully, the trip to Korea will revitalize his career.