On the Juice?: Eric Gagne

This'll be the first of what may/may not become a running feature on this blog. I'll attempt to work through the known evidence and determine if a player is/has ever been on the juice. It's a topic that was suggested to me and one that I admit I am leery about. In general I've heard enough about steroids in baseball. I wish they'd never been part of the game, but I can't make up my mind how much or how little I should be outraged by them. If there were a similar substance that would enable me to potentially perform my job better (by some amount, who knows how much with 'roids?) and that that would increase the chances of me being paid millions of dollars to do the job, I would gladly do them. I am not so high-minded as to claim "I wouldn't use steroids if I was in their shoes." I would. Heck, when I was lifting weights 4 times a week, I used creatine and can admit that a passing thought of steroids crossed my mind. I had no incentive to bulk up, hence I never pursued it.

Anyway, I'll try to look at the evidence and present the case. There's no way to know the results, but it may be a fun exercise. Today, Eric Gagne.


The short version of the Eric Gagne story is that he was an up and down starting pitcher for the Dodgers, was converted to a relief pitcher, and promptly became, for the next 3 seasons at least, possibly the most dominant, unhittable reliever in history. After that, he lost almost 2 full seasons to a litany of injuries. This season he appears to be regaining (some of) his form.

At this point let me state that I DO NOT believe Gagne used steroids. While he did ratchet up his performance in an incredible manner quite suddenly I believe there are many reasons for this.

Gagne is from Quebec. One underrated aspect that often influences the development of young players is the weather (another example of this is Curtis Granderson). Quite simply, at a young age Gagne couldn't play baseball year round due to the cold weather in winter, whereas a player from Florida could. This often leads to players from colder climes being "late bloomers."

Another factor affecting his development was Tommy John surgery being performed on him in 1997, when he was only 21. He made a very decent 5 game debut at the end of 1999 as a 23 year old, very young for a pitcher from a cold weather climate who had already lost a year to TJ surgery.

Even then, he sported 4 pitches. Eventually, it was the 4 pitch repertoire that made him so dominant as a closer. Most closing pitchers are something of one trick ponies. The may have a few pitches, but only one "out" pitch (such as Mariano Rivera's cutter). When you've only got to get through a few hitters that's usually enough. Having 4 quality pitches made him an even tougher closer.

Over the 2000 and 2001 season Gagne was bounced back and forth between AAA and the majors, as well as between starting and the bullpen.

Here's what 3 progressive Baseball Prosectus' had to say about him:

"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.

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.

2002 - He was jerked around considerably... 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."

Clearly, there was a belief that he had 4 good pitches, and was a good starting prospect. He did throw a ton of pitches in 2001 (1.64 WHIP) however he lowered that down to 1.25 in 2002. Despite the mishandling he was on his way to being a good starter by the start of 2002. Note that 2002 was the year he was moved to the 'pen, and that BP's remarks did not anticipate that move.

In 2002 he registered 52 saves. A few years removed from TJ surgery he was finally back to full arm strength (and presumably had been "stretched out" to make it through a major league season). Pitching only 1 inning, he was able to rear back and throw his fastball in the high 90's, which made his low 80's changeup that much harder to hit.

Yes his rise to fame was precipitous, but it often is for closers. A 25 year old Mariano Rivera has a 5.51 ERA and 1.51 WHIP as a sometimes starter in his only season starting in the majors. Clearly Gagne's skill set was more suited to the pen.

Gagne rattled off 3 unreal seasons In 2003 he was at his most unrealest, saving 55 and striking out 137 in 82 innings with a .69(!) WHIP while winning the Cy Young.

Another underrated aspect of pitching is "cascading effects" of an injury. In Gagne's case, he sprained his knee in the spring of 2005. The pain in his knee caused him to alter his mechanics, which ultimately led to elbow pain and elbow surgery to "release a nerve entrapped in scar tissue." Thus 2005 was pretty much a wasted year.

He was back in 2006 but that damned nerve still bothered him, leading to a second elbow surgery. Later on that season, it was discovered he had 2 herniated discs in his back, leading to season ending back surgery.

Now, a knee injury, and altered mechanics leading to an elbow injury in no way suggests 'roids. Neither does herniated discs in his back.

That pretty much brings us up to date. He signed with the Rangers this offseason, got a late start on the season due to the back surgery and has been almost his old dominant self this season. He did have a short DL stint for a sore hip, but that doesn't really seem like anything more than "just one of those things."

On the surface Gagne might fit the profile of a steroid user. Meteoric rise to stardom, followed by a rash of injuries. As we've seen though, his development path clearly shows that he had the stuff to be a good starting pitcher. How many above average starting pitchers would be dominant closers? Most never get the chance to find out, because starters are more valuable than closers. Gagne's a world class talent that had elbow problems long before he was a household name (TJ in 1997). He hurt his knee, and ended up hurting his arm trying to pitch through it.

Verdict: Not Guilty