Don't Call It A Comeback

Playing in the Major Leagues is the dream of every kid who has ever picked up a baseball and stepped on a field. We've all had that dream, there's no way around it. All of us want to be there, but only a select few ever have the talent to actually make it there. Once you've made the show, you want to try and stay there for as long as you possibly can. For somebody like Eric Gagne, trying to make a comeback and get back to the show could be an uphill climb.

There was a three year stretch, from 2002-2004, Eric Gagne was one of the more dominate pitchers in all of Major League Baseball. To show how good he was, with his 55 saves, in 2003 Gagne was named the Cy Young Award winner in the National League. He had one more great year, if you want to call it that, in 2004, when he finished the year, with a 7-3 record and 45 saves. After that, Gagne had a falling out and couldn't find his game again. He didn't play very much in 2005 or 2006, gets traded in 2007 and finished up in 2008 with the Brewers at age 32. He hasn't been back in the Majors since. He tried making a comeback in 2010 with the Dodgers, but it didn't go as planned. Now, seven years after that attempted comeback, at age 41, he's trying to make another return to the big leagues. He just signed a deal with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. Gagne has a good mix of piches, throwing anything from a four seam fastball, a two seam fastball, a changeup, curveball and a slider (something he rarely throws). He has the talent, but who knows if time has actually caught up to the former relief star.

As far as the team he has signed with, the Long Island Ducks, they have a good reputation in the Atlantic League. They are three time league champions and have seen there fair share of current and former Major League players come through the club. Current Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill played a part of the 2015 season on Long Island. He's the biggest name in the big leagues that used to play on the Island. But now Gagne joins a long list of former big league stars that have played on Long Island after their Major League career ended. The list of former Major Leaguers to play for the Ducks is as follows (Not yet including Gagne):

Bill Hall (2013-15)
Armando Benítez (2012)
Dontrelle Willis (2013)
John Rocker (2005)
Edgardo Alfonzo (2007)
Carlos Baerga (2001)
Carl Everett (2007-2008)
Richard Hidalgo (2008)
Sidney Ponson (2010)
Duaner Sanchez (2011)
Kip Wells (2010)
Nelson Figueroa (2010)
Preston Wilson (2009)
Jose Offerman (2007)
Danny Graves (2007)

So now for the big question. Does Eric Gagne have a chance to make the big leagues again? Bottom line, Gagne is a long, long way removed from his prime. While he might be able to gear up for one or two outings here and there, now he’ll be forced to prove he can do it consistently and in a competitive environment.