Mets prospect Drew Gagnon should be the next promoted to the show

The New York Mets are giving several minor leaguers the chance to play in the big leagues. The next promotion should go to Drew Gagnon.

The Pacific Coast League has always been a hitters paradise. For future New York Mets pitchers like Drew Gagnon, it’s a battleground, and boy his he fighting.

The air in the southwest is drier, the elevation is sneakily high and balls just seem to find their way over the fences in PCL ballparks. On the flip side, this allows a young pitcher’s true abilities to really shine through. If the batters you’re facing have an advantage, your numbers can show your strength and MLB-readiness in the PCL.

The core of the Mets rotation have all been through the Las Vegas ringer. Noah Syndergaard posted a 4.09 ERA, and a 1.383 WHIP in 162.2 innings over 31 starts in his time as a Las Vegas starter. Steven Matz owns a 2.78 ERA and a 1.109 WHIP in his 103.2 inning tenure in the PCL.

While those numbers show the abilities of Matz and Syndergaard despite pitching in a hitter-friendly league, others didn’t see the same success in Triple-A. Both Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo held ERAs north of 5.80 and WHIPs above 1.500, but still came up to the major league club and found success.

This year the Vegas 51s have seen many call-ups and demotions, but the next one should be Drew Gagnon.

Gagnon was signed by the Mets to a minor league deal in late December of 2017. Gagnon most recent credentials included pitching in the Los Angeles Angels organization, specifically their Triple-A franchise, the Salt Lake Bees.

Prior to that, his most notable feat was being drafted in the third round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Years later Gagnon would be traded with catcher Martin Maldonado to the Los Angeles Angels for catcher Jett Bandy.

Gagnon had a rough start to 2018, racking up a 7.14 ERA in his first 8 starts with the 51s. However, he’s been able to turn it around in the last month, posting a 3.25 in his last 6 games. If that’s not enough to convince you, his strikeout numbers should. Gagnon is 4th in the PCL in strikeouts with 79 in 14 starts. When that all shakes out, Gagnon owns a 9.3 K/9.

Remember those four guys I talked about earlier? Gagnon’s numbers fit nicely in that mix. Syndergaard topped out at 9.9 K/9, Matz with 9.6 K/9, Lugo an 8.3 K/9 and Gsellman’s 7.1 K/9.

All these former 51s turned out to be solid arms for the Mets. There’s no reason Gagnon couldn’t be the same.

With Jason Vargas on the decline and the Mets rotation struggling to find their rhythm, Gagnon could right the ship for the Metropolitans.

At this point, if a guy wants to prove himself on the big league stage, Sandy Alderson and Mickey Callaway should let him.

In his 7 years of Minor League service, Gagnon has never pitched in a big league game. The Mets should give the kid a shot. He’s not getting anymore ready. Gagnon is good to go.

Next: The Jason Vargas experiment is over

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However, after the latest round of minor league promotions of outfielder Kevin Kaczmarski (.363 AVG) and reliever Drew Smith, it would seem that Gagnon is going to have to wait a little longer to get his orange and blue jersey.