Angel Pagan has been out of baseball for the last four seasons, and it seems like he still had a couple of good years left in him. Pagan’s time with the New York Mets were some of the best seasons of his career.
On This Date 05/19/2010: Ángel Pagán hit an inside-the-park home run + was also part of a triple play in the same game. #Mets #Amazin pic.twitter.com/MAzi8Y00Pv
— Brad ?? (@celeBRADtion) May 19, 2017
Pagan was an original draft pick of the Mets in 1999 but never made it to the big leagues and went to the Cubs in 2006. A couple of years later, he returned to the Mets and finished out the 2008 season with them. He only played in 31 games and hit .275.
Rise to the Leadoff Spot
When Jose Reyes landed on the disabled list for the remainder of the 2009 season, the Mets needed a new leadoff hitter. Pagan went 8-for-21 as the leadoff hitter before a right groin strain put him back on the DL. When he was healthy again, he reclaimed the leadoff spot from mid-July through the end of the season.
Pagan hit. 302/.339/.498 with six home runs and 29 RBIs. He also added on 19 doubles, 11 triples, and ten stolen bases. The following season saw Pagan move around in the order regularly. He also saw more time in center field while Carlos Beltran was on the shelf. Pagan put together another strong year hitting .290/.340/.425 in 151 games, the first time he ever eclipsed 100 in his career.
8 years ago today, Ángel Pagán stepped up in the 8th inning of a tie game & hit this Grand Slam.#Mets won 9-6.#Amazin #ItsOuttaHere pic.twitter.com/89lkmAIUs1
— ? BIG APPLE METS ?? (@BigAppleNYM) August 1, 2017
Pagan became the starting center fielder in 2011, but production fell off. He started the season hitting .159 before a rib injury kept him out for a month. Pagan finished the season hitting .279 but only slugged .394. After the season, the Mets traded him to the Giants for Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez. He had a stellar first season in San Francisco but regressed over his final four seasons.
Pagan decided to take the 2017 season off because he was dissatisfied with his contract offers. The last we saw of Pagan was during the 2017 World Baseball Classic for Puerto Rico. He still has not officially announced his retirement, but at 38, it is unlikely we see Pagan play again.