Baseball can be a gruesome sport for players trying to get to the major leagues from the minors. After being drafted in the 15th round of the 2010 MLB Draft out of ASU by the Pittsburgh Pirates, infielder Drew Maggi finally got his call to the big leagues on Sunday.
Maggi looked brought to tears after hearing the emotional announcement and celebrated accordingly with his teammates. He was playing for the Pirates’ Double-A affiliate, the Altoona Curve, located in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and travelled to Pittsburgh ahead of the Pirates’ game against Cincinnati Sunday.
“I always believed this moment would come,” he said to the media in the Pirates’ clubhouse. He added that he was excited and grateful to be in this position.
Maggi is a Phoenix product, playing baseball at Brophy Prep before suiting up for two seasons with the Sun Devils. He hit .319, had five home runs and drove in 65 runs in his time at ASU. He also recorded 57 steals and scored 117 runs.
Since being drafted, Maggi has played seven years in Double-A and six years in Triple-A for the Pirates, Angels, Dodgers, Guardians, Twins and Phillies organizations. He has a .254 batting average, 46 home runs and 354 RBIs in his minor league career. He’s added 222 stolen bases and scored 589 runs.
Maggi didn’t play in the Pirates’ game Sunday, the first game he was eligible for, but hopes to see his name in the lineup this week.
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