Biographical

Portrait of Eric Gagne

Eric Gagne P

Player Cards | Team Audit | Depth Chart

Career Summary
Years G IP W L SV ERA WARP
12 402 643.7 33 26 187 3.47 14.7
Birth Date1-7-1976
Height6' 0"
Weight240 lbs
Age48 years, 2 months, 22 days
BatsR
ThrowsR
WARP Summary

MLB Statistics

Historical (past-seasons) WARP is now based on DRA..
cFIP and DRA are not available on a by-team basis and display as zeroes(0). See TOT line for season totals of these stats.
Multiple stints are are currently shownClick to hide.
YEAR Team Lg G GS IP W L SV H BB SO HR PPF H/9 BB/9 HR/9 K/9 GB% BABIP WHIP FIP ERA cFIP DRA DRA- WARP
1999 LAN MLB 5 5 30.0 1 1 0 18 15 30 3 89 5.4 4.5 0.9 9.0 0% .211 1.10 3.87 2.10 93 3.64 70.8 0.8
2000 LAN MLB 20 19 101.3 4 6 0 106 60 79 20 105 9.4 5.3 1.8 7.0 0% .285 1.64 5.92 5.15 119 6.14 118.1 0.2
2001 LAN MLB 33 24 151.7 6 7 0 144 46 130 24 98 8.5 2.7 1.4 7.7 0% .277 1.25 4.57 4.75 103 4.17 86.5 2.7
2002 LAN MLB 77 0 82.3 4 1 52 55 16 114 6 92 6.0 1.7 0.7 12.5 0% .278 0.86 1.70 1.97 49 1.87 40.2 3.1
2003 LAN MLB 77 0 82.3 2 3 55 37 20 137 2 88 4.0 2.2 0.2 15.0 0% .243 0.69 0.79 1.20 27 1.66 34.8 3.4
2004 LAN MLB 70 0 82.3 7 3 45 53 22 114 5 95 5.8 2.4 0.5 12.5 0% .267 0.91 1.95 2.19 57 2.11 43.5 3.1
2005 LAN MLB 14 0 13.3 1 0 8 10 3 22 2 94 6.8 2.0 1.4 14.9 0% .308 0.98 2.31 2.70 52 1.80 38.8 0.6
2006 LAN MLB 2 0 2.0 0 0 1 0 1 3 0 96 0.0 4.5 0.0 13.5 0% .000 0.50 3.10 0.00 116 7.81 159.1 0.0
2007 BOS 0 20 0 18.7 2 2 0 26 9 22 1 103 12.5 4.3 0.5 10.6 0% .439 1.88 3.09 6.75 83 2.99 61.8 0.5
2007 TEX 0 34 0 33.3 2 0 16 23 12 29 2 103 6.2 3.2 0.5 7.8 0% .236 1.05 3.51 2.16 97 4.47 92.5 0.4
2008 MIL MLB 50 0 46.3 4 3 10 46 22 38 11 100 8.9 4.3 2.1 7.4 0% .269 1.47 6.10 5.44 109 5.32 113.5 0.0
2007 TOT MLB 54 0 52.0 4 2 16 49 21 51 3 103 8.5 3.6 0.5 8.8 0% .000 1.35 3.36 3.81 91 3.94 81.4 0.9
CareerMLB40248643.7332618751822671876977.23.21.110.042%.2741.163.533.47833.6073.514.7

Statistics for All Levels

'opp' stats - Quality of opponents faced - have been moved and are available only as OPP_QUAL in the Statistics reports now.
Minor league stats are currently shownClick to hide.
YEAR Team Lg LG G GS IP W L SV H BB SO HR PPF H/9 BB/9 HR/9 K/9 GB% BABIP WHIP FIP ERA cFIP DRA DRA-
1996 SAV A SAL 23 21 115.3 7 6 0 94 43 131 11 7.3 3.4 0.9 10.2 0% .000 1.19 3.38 3.28 0 0.00 0.0
1998 VRO A+ FSL 25 25 139.7 9 7 0 118 48 144 16 7.6 3.1 1.0 9.3 0% -.490 1.19 3.91 3.74 0 0.00 0.0
1999 LAN MLB NL 5 5 30.0 1 1 0 18 15 30 3 89 5.4 4.5 0.9 9.0 0% .211 1.10 3.87 2.10 93 3.64 70.8
1999 SAN AA TXS 26 26 167.7 12 4 0 122 64 185 17 6.5 3.4 0.9 9.9 0% -.395 1.11 3.65 2.63 0 0.00 0.0
2000 LAN MLB NL 20 19 101.3 4 6 0 106 60 79 20 105 9.4 5.3 1.8 7.0 0% .285 1.64 5.92 5.15 119 6.14 118.1
2000 ABQ AAA PCL 9 9 55.7 5 1 0 56 15 59 8 9.0 2.4 1.3 9.5 0% -.585 1.27 4.13 3.88 0 0.00 0.0
2001 LAN MLB NL 33 24 151.7 6 7 0 144 46 130 24 98 8.5 2.7 1.4 7.7 0% .277 1.25 4.57 4.75 103 4.17 86.5
2001 LVG AAA PCL 4 4 23.7 3 0 0 15 8 31 2 5.7 3.0 0.8 11.8 0% -.317 0.97 3.04 1.52 0 0.00 0.0
2002 LAN MLB NL 77 0 82.3 4 1 52 55 16 114 6 92 6.0 1.7 0.7 12.5 0% .278 0.86 1.70 1.97 49 1.87 40.2
2003 LAN MLB NL 77 0 82.3 2 3 55 37 20 137 2 88 4.0 2.2 0.2 15.0 0% .243 0.69 0.79 1.20 27 1.66 34.8
2004 LAN MLB NL 70 0 82.3 7 3 45 53 22 114 5 95 5.8 2.4 0.5 12.5 0% .267 0.91 1.95 2.19 57 2.11 43.5
2005 LAN MLB NL 14 0 13.3 1 0 8 10 3 22 2 94 6.8 2.0 1.4 14.9 0% .308 0.98 2.31 2.70 52 1.80 38.8
2005 LVG AAA PCL 3 0 4.0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 32 0.0 0.0 0.0 15.8 0% .000 0.00 0.01 0.00 29 1.79 35.2
2006 LAN MLB NL 2 0 2.0 0 0 1 0 1 3 0 96 0.0 4.5 0.0 13.5 0% .000 0.50 3.10 0.00 116 7.81 159.1
2006 LVG AAA PCL 2 0 2.1 0 0 2 1 0 3 0 114 4.3 0.0 0.0 12.9 0% .250 0.48 0.48 0.00 62 2.61 54.9
2007 BOS MLB AL 20 0 18.7 2 2 0 26 9 22 1 103 12.5 4.3 0.5 10.6 0% .439 1.88 3.09 6.75 83 2.99 61.8
2007 TEX MLB AL 34 0 33.3 2 0 16 23 12 29 2 103 6.2 3.2 0.5 7.8 0% .236 1.05 3.51 2.16 97 4.47 92.5
2007 FRI AA TXS 3 2 2.7 0 1 0 2 1 3 1 106 6.7 3.3 3.3 10.0 0% .167 1.11 6.88 3.33 97 3.48 71.4
2008 MIL MLB NL 50 0 46.3 4 3 10 46 22 38 11 100 8.9 4.3 2.1 7.4 0% .269 1.47 6.10 5.44 109 5.32 113.5
2008 NAS AAA PCL 2 2 1.7 0 0 0 2 1 3 0 97 10.6 5.3 0.0 15.9 0% .500 1.76 3.48 10.59 79 3.53 72.2

Plate Discipline

YEAR Pits Zone% Swing% Contact% Z-Swing% O-Swing% Z-Contact% O-Contact% SwStr%
2008 763 0.4889 0.4731 0.7479 0.6434 0.3103 0.8125 0.6198 0.2521
Career7630.48890.47310.74790.64340.31030.81250.61980.2521

Injury History  —  No longer being updated

Last Update: 12/31/2014 23:59 ET

Date On Date Off Transaction Days Games Side Body Part Injury Severity Surgery Date Reaggravation
2009-02-24 2009-02-27 Camp 3 0 Right Lower Leg Strain Calf -
2009-02-24 2009-03-08 Camp 12 0 Right Shoulder Cartilage Injury Labrum and Rotator Cuff -
2009-01-14 2009-01-14 FA 0 0 Face Surgery LASIK 2009-01-14
2008-05-21 2008-06-29 15-DL 39 35 Right Shoulder Inflammation Rotator Cuff Tendinitis -
2007-04-23 2007-05-10 15-DL 17 15 Right Hip Strain -
2007-03-28 2007-04-13 15-DL 16 9 Right Elbow Fatigue -
2006-07-06 2006-07-06 On-Alr 0 0 Low Back Surgery Herniated Disc 2006-07-08
2006-06-07 2006-10-08 60-DL 123 103 Elbow Nerve Injury Ulnar Neuritis -
2006-04-01 2006-05-30 15-DL 59 51 Right Elbow Surgery Removing Damaged Nerve 2006-04-07
2005-06-13 2005-10-10 60-DL 119 100 Right Elbow Surgery Frayed Ligament and Removing Scar Tissue Around Nerve (not Full Tommy John Procedure) 2005-06-24
2005-04-01 2005-05-14 15-DL 43 35 Right Elbow Sprain Ulnar Collateral Ligament -
2005-02-25 2005-03-22 Camp 25 0 Left Knee Sprain MCL -
2004-09-27 2004-09-30 DTD 3 3 Right Shoulder Soreness -
2003-03-07 2003-03-07 Camp 0 0 Low Back Tightness -
1997-04-05 1997-09-05 Minors 153 0 Right Elbow Surgery Tommy John Surgery - Date Is Approximate - -

Compensation

Year Team Salary
2008 MIL $10,000,000
2007 TEX, BOS $6,000,000
2006 LAN $10,000,000
2005 LAN $8,000,000
2004 LAN $5,000,000
2003 LAN $550,000
2002 LAN $300,000
2001 LAN $220,000
YearsDescriptionSalary
8 yrPrevious$40,070,000
8 yrTotal$40,070,000

 

Service TimeAgentContract Status
8 y 119 dScott Boras

Details
  • retired 4/10 released by LAD 3/22/10 signed as a free agent from MIL 2/18/10 (minor-league contract, $0.5M major league)
  • $0.5M performance bonus (g,games finished)
  • re-signed as a free agent 2/17/09 (minor-league contract, $1.5M major league)
  • performance bonus
  • signed as a free agent from BOS 12/10/07, 1 year/$10M (08)+performance bonus:$0.25M each 50,55,60,65 games finished
  • acquired in trade from TX 7/31/07 (waived no-trade protection in exch for guaranteed of $2.5M of performance bonus (TX pd $0.4M, BOS pd $2.1M)
  • signed as a free agent from LAD 12/06, 1 year/$6M (07)
  • suite on road
  • performance bonus:$75K 3 games finished, $0.1M 6 games finished, $0.15M each 10,13,16 games finished, $0.175M each 20,23,26 games finished, $0.2M each 30,33,36 games finished, $0.25M each 40,43,46 games finished, $0.5M each 50,53,56 games finished, $0.333M 60,63 games finished, $0.334M 66 games finished
  • award bonus:$0.1M CY ($75K 2nd, $50K 3rd), $0.1M MVP, $50K WSMVP, $25K each Gold Glove,LCSMVP, $50K All-Star, $0.1M Comeback Plyear, $0.25M Rolaids ($0.2M 2nd, $0.15M 3rd, $0.1M 4th, $50K 5th)
  • signed extension 1/05, 2 year/$19M (05-06)+$12M 07 club option $1M buyout, 05:$8M, 06:$10M, 07:$12M club option $1M buyout if club decls (EG may void & rec buyout of $0.25M, $0.65M (with 50 games finished 05 OR 06), & $1M (50 games finished in 05 & 06), based on games finished 05-06)
  • 1 year/$5M (04), lost arb 2/04 ($8M-$5M)
  • re-signed 3/03, 1 year/$0.55M (03) (2 year, 119 d srv time, 18 days short of arbitration-eligible after 02) 1 year/$0.3M (02) 3/02
  • recalled 7/01

2019 Preseason Forecast

Last Update: 1/27/2017 12:35 ET

PCT W L SV G GS IP H BB SO HR BABIP WHIP ERA DRA VORP WARP
Weighted Mean?????0.0?00?.0000.000.00?0.00.0

Comparable Players (Similarity Index )

Rank Score Name Year Run Average Trend

BP Annual Player Comments

YearComment
2009 Francisco Cordero’s departure led the Brewers to venture into high-risk, high-reward territory by waving off Gagne’s dismal Boston performance and signing him to a one-year, $10 million deal to close for them. The bad omens began on Opening Day, when Gagne blew a save surrendering a three-run homer to Kosuke Fukudome. He blew four more saves before going on the DL in late May with a 6.98 ERA and rotator cuff tendonitis. When he returned six weeks later, it was in a set-up role, and at the very least the hemorrhaging stopped—Gagne put up a 4.33 ERA the rest of the way, with a 20/6 K/BB ratio. At this point, he’s now had four seasons of shaky health; he may be worth an incentive-based gamble, but paying top dollar to entrust him with the closer's job is foolish.
2008 Gagn?'s 2007 season is an interesting case study in how we perceive things. His overall numbers were right in line with what you would expect from a good reliever coming off two seasons lost to surgeries and rehab. Pitching for Texas in the first four months, Gagn? was effective, if not dominant, and his low ERA (2.16) was as much a function of low BABIP (.236) as anything else. With the Red Sox, the latter number jumped to .439, including a whopping .515 in August. Would that have happened in Texas? We'll never know, but connecting the change to the trade is implausible. Gagn? was due for a correction, and having it come while he was pitching high-leverage innings for a high-profile team after a high-visibility trade made it seem like the two were related, or that there had to be a cause. Neither is necessarily true. Signed to a one-year, $10 million deal with Milwaukee, Gagn? should have an unexceptional but successful season as the Brewers' closer.
2007 The Dodgers received a return on their investment on Gagne that must have made them long for the reliable bargain that was Darren Dreifort--15 1/3 innings over the life of Gagne`s two-year, $19-million deal. Once the league`s most dominant closer, Gagne self-inflicted a cascade injury in 2005 by pitching through a knee sprain. After missing the season`s first six weeks and making just 14 appearances, he underwent elbow surgery--not for his second UCL replacement, as planned, but to relocate a peripheral sensory nerve entrapped by scar tissue. One spring training later, the nerve continued to cause irritation due to a benign tumor, so Gagne went back under the knife in April. He returned in early June, but, after two appearances, went back to the DL with more elbow trouble; amid that setback, a herniated disc precipitated surgery and ended his season. With no guarantee Gagne would regain his old form, the Dodgers declined his $12-million option, hoping to work out an incentive-based deal. Instead, Scott Boras steered his client to Texas, where he signed an incentive-laden, one-year deal for a guaranteed $6 million. To the Rangers, we say `good luck.`
2006 Ever hear the old expression, `It`s not the fall that kills you, it`s the sudden stop?` Cascade injuries are like that. By compensating for foot, leg, or back problems, pitchers compromise their mechanics and end up hurting their arms. Such was the case with Gagne, who soldiered on despite spraining his knee in the spring and never letting it heal. The Dodgers brass didn`t see it coming. For all the wrath management received from the local media and fans last year, they deserved even more criticism for not protecting Gagne from his own hypercompetitive instincts. They flushed millions of dollars down the toilet, blowing a big chunk of Gagne`s $8 million salary. In addition, a healthy Gagne might have put the Dodgers in a position to make the playoffs in a weak, winnable division, which would have added millions to the club`s war chest. After winding up on Dr. Frank Jobe`s table for quasi-Tommy John surgery, but dodging a full TJ, Gagne should be ready to go by spring training. He may not return to his 2003 form, but he`ll improve the team`s chances simply by staying healthy.
2005 One AL Scouting Director calls Gagne "a bargain at $15 million," which will be music to the ears of Gagne and Scott Boras. An absolutely devastating pitcher with no real comparable in recent history. One of a very few men that can exorcise the stoicism out of Dodger Stadium and make it just plain rock. He's thrown 82.1 innings in each of the last three years, which is at least pretty cool, if not particularly important. In those 247 innings of work, he's allowed 145 hits, 58 walks, and struck out 365. That's pretty good.
2004 Gagne had the greatest season in baseball history for a reliever, according to Clay Davenport's WARP numbers, holding the opposition to an ungodly .133/.196/.173 batting line in 82 innings of work. (To make a comparison, Cesar Izturis, arguably the worst everyday player in the major leagues last season, hit .251/.282/.315?massive compared to what Gagne allowed). There aren't many occasions when relief pitchers are objectively deserving of the Cy Young award, but this was one of those times, especially when you consider the high number of close, low-scoring games the Dodgers Played in. Unlike Bobby Thigpen, Gagne's challenge of the single-season saves record was not a fluke, and he's likely to do it again, especially if the Dodgers are scrounging for runs in 2004. He'll fetch a mint once he hits the free agent market.
2003 Incroyable! After battling Luke Prokopec for the fifth starter job in 2001, Gagne achieved huge success last year after Prokopec left—as a stopper, not a starter. Using a talented pitcher to throw 82 innings instead of 200 won’t usually land you on BP’s Christmas card list. But Gagne blew hitters away by regularly dialing up fastballs in the high 90s last year, something we hadn’t seen before. Was his increased velocity a function of a healthy elbow shaking off the last effects of Tommy John surgery or of his ability to cut loose, knowing he’d only be needed for 20 pitches a game? A little of both, says the research being done on the topic. The Dodgers may start serving poutine with Dodger Dogs if Gagne keeps going at this rate.
2002 Gagne was pitted against Luke Prokopec in a sort of Mark Burnett-on-peyote cage match for the final spot in the rotation. He was jerked around considerably by Kevin Malone, Dave Wallace, and Jim Tracy, and, given the circumstances, he didn't pitch too badly. All the requisite skills are there for Gagne to be a very good starting pitcher. It's just a matter of opportunity and patience. With Prokopec a Blue Jay and Chan Ho Park a Ranger, Gagne should settle in this year.
2001 The Dodgers spent most of 2000 mishandling Eric Gagne, jerking him between L.A. and Albuquerque and never allowing him to get settled in a rotation. He didn't make it easier by throwing a ton of pitches on his way to averaging just over five innings per start. He'll go into camp in the same position as a year ago: battling Carlos Perez for the #5 starter's job.
2000 Gagne is sporting a halo after his excellent September call-up capped a remarkable comeback from elbow surgery in 1997. He was dominant at San Antonio and goes into the spring fighting Carlos Perez for the #4 starter slot. He throws four pitches and will eventually be a middle-of-the-rotation starter. For 2000, he would be well served by a year in middle relief.
1999 Returned from arm surgery and picked up right where he left off, more or less. No star potential, but he could take advantage of the organization's lack of talent to make himself into a prospect. Won't see another pitchers' environment for a while, though.

BP Articles

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BP Chats

DateQuestionAnswer
2012-12-28 13:00:00 (link to chat)Does Ugeth Urbina have any more bullets(for lack of a better term, no pun intended) left and do you see any teams holding tryouts for the old closer? Also, would he be able to get a work-visa now that he's released(being a convicted felon)?
(jlarsen from chicago)
I have no idea about the work visa. How old is Urbina anyway? [checks] He's only 38? How is that even possible? He was darned good in 2003. Then again, so were Eric Gagne and Tim Worrell. (Geoff Young)
2009-04-28 13:00:00 (link to chat)Given Manny Acta's limited options, is he going to stick with Joel Hanrahan at closer after his awful start, or is he going to give a guy like Jason Bergmann a shot (a failed started with good stuff and health issues)?
(Peeig13 from The Second City)
This is my darkhorse for the Nationals' closer: Kip Wells. His results have never matched his stuff as a closer and a lot of times many pitchers who fit that profile wind up being good closers for a time. Eric Gagne is a prime example. (John Perrotto)
2009-02-24 13:00:00 (link to chat)In the Mitchell report, Eric Gagne's entry still bugs me. It included the results an informal background check done by the Red Sox front office. Given that front offices were fully complying with the investigation - shouldn't we seen a lot more comments from front offices?
(goiter6 from MN)
Perhaps. I'll use this question as a jumping-off point for what I hope will be my only steroid comment of the day: Alex Rodriguez has been called to the commissioner's office to discuss his steroid use. (I'm trying to get away from the term "performance-enhanching drugs," since I think it's a loaded phrase in which two words are out of place in a baseball context.) MLB has had the 2003 list since 2004. If they want to ask players on it about their steroid use, why have they waited until one has been outed? Why not ask them all, privately? If Alex Rodriguez can be summoned, why can't the other 103? Or at least interviewed out of the public eye? Or is only information from stars valuable? (Joe Sheehan)
2008-09-10 13:00:00 (link to chat)Hiya Jay .... thanks for chatting ... If Ned Yost had a clue about managing a pitching staff, and didn't care so much about no-hitters, the Brew Crew might have a chance to go deep into October. Do you concur?
(dianagramr from NYC)
It's not a chat until Diana shows up! Glad you could make it, as always.

I think Yost got a bit too carried away over Scorer-gate, but he's just standing up for his players and trying to take the pressure off them. I'm not crazy about the way he manages his bullpen, particularly with regards to his obsession for spot lefty matchups, and I wish he'd just lose Eric Gagne's phone number, but I don't have a problem with the way he's handled his rotation, particularly the two big guns. At this point, given what we know about the economics of making the postseason (Nate Silver's finding of a 10-year revenue bump for such teams, as noted in his chapter in Baseball Between the Numbers), I think it's far more important for the Brew Crew to simply make it to October and lift that 26-year-old monkey off their backs than it is to win the whole thing.

Not that I wouldn't love to see the latter. My wife and in-laws would go nuts. (Jay Jaffe)
2008-07-30 12:30:00 (link to chat)I'm frustrated by the lack of prospects available for a Bay, Nady or Marte! What happened to the 3 good prospects for a middling reliever scenario (see Gagne, Eric; 2007) from only 1 year ago?
(Frank from Vegas via Pittsburgh)
I don't think teams hold Nady and Marte in the same regard as Eric Gagne. Bottom line, Nady is an average player having a good and Marte is a situational lefty on a really good team. I think sometimes Pirates fans tend to overrate their own players in context to the rest of the league. (John Perrotto)
2008-07-03 13:00:00 (link to chat)I am an unfortunate owner of Matt Capps (and Eric Gagne-ouch). I was lucky enough to pick up Damaso Marte before the rest of the vultures in my league plucked him up. Is he the front runner to get the nod in Capps' absence? Also, what can we expect from Josh Johnson in the second half of the year?
(Brent from Scottsdale)
I'd expect nothing from Johnson - even when a pitcher comes back from TJS, there's usually a lag in his command, and that's especially true when a guy comes back earlier than expected. If you have ample room on your reserve, sure, roster him, but don't activate him until he gets a few starts in to see what's going to happen.

Marte - yes, frontrunner, but don't be surprised if there's some sort of committee at work with Yates, because Marte is a lefty. (Jeff Erickson)
2008-02-07 14:00:00 (link to chat)Eric Gagne over/under 35 saves
(erbacaine from Milwaukee)
Under, and I'll take out a loan to make that bet. (Joe Sheehan)


BP Roundtables

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PITCHf/x Pitcher Profile

A Collaboration between BrooksBaseball.net and Baseball Prospectus - Pitch classifications provided by Pitch Info LLC


Although he has not thrown an MLB pitch in 2023, Eric Gagne threw 1,470 pitches that were tracked by the PITCHf/x system between 2007 and 2008, all of them occuring in Spring Training. In 2008, he relied primarily on his Fourseam Fastball (93mph) and Change (86mph), also mixing in a Sinker (93mph) and Curve (71mph). He also rarely threw a Slider (83mph).