Maggi gets his big league moment
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
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.
- Maggi received a standing ovation from teammates and the Pittsburgh crowd — a moment he'll surely never forget.
- The Phoenix native ended up striking out (and getting called for a pitch clock violation), but that's beside the point.
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)
