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Apr 27, 2023 - Sports

Maggi gets his big league moment

Kendall Baker
Drew Maggi

Photo: Joe Sargent/Getty Images

13 years after Drew Maggi was drafted, the career minor leaguer finally achieved his dream of playing in the big leagues.

Driving the news: After getting called up by the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this week, the 33-year-old infielder appeared as a pinch hitter on Wednesday in the eighth inning of a 8-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Timeline: The Pirates called Maggi up to the majors on Sunday from the Double-A Altoona Curve after the former Arizona State Sun Devil spent 1,155 games and 4,494 plate appearances in the minors.

  • 2010-14: After the Pirates selected him in the 15th round of the 2010 draft, Maggi spent five seasons with the organization and reached Double-A.
  • 2015-18: He jumped around from the Los Angeles Angels (2015) to the Dodgers (2016-17) to the Cleveland Indians (2018), splitting time between Double-A and Triple-A.
  • 2019-21: He signed with the Minnesota Twins, and after mashing at Triple-A in 2021 (.850 OPS across 86 games), he got called up. Unfortunately, he never saw the field, becoming just another phantom ballplayer.
  • 2022-present: After signing with the Philadelphia Phillies in the spring of 2022, Maggi was traded to the Pirates midseason. He re-signed with Pittsburgh this past offseason, getting the call just eight games into his 2023 campaign.

The big picture: It's exceedingly hard to make the major leagues — just 10% of minor leaguers get to "The Show." It's even rarer for players Maggi's age to still be grinding it out in Double-A, where the average player is roughly nine years younger than him.

What he's saying: "I always believed this moment would come," Maggi said after getting called up. "I'm very thankful that I'm here and that I get to enjoy this."

  • "Anything is possible. Never give up," he added after his debut.
  • "If you love something, go for it."

❤️ Watch: The moment Maggi got called up (Twitter)

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