#766) ANGEL PAGAN

Angel Pagan was originally selected by the New York Mets in the fourth round of the 1999 free agent draft. He had not made it to the major leagues with the Mets before they sold his contract to the Chicago Cubs on January 25, 2006. Pagan returned to New York when the Cubs traded the switch-hitting outfielder back to the Mets in exchange for Corey Coles and Ryan Meyers on January 5, 2008.

Angel made his Mets debut in Miami, Florida on March 31, 2008. He was the starting left-fielder in the Season Opener against the Marlins. Pagan got off to a hot start and was the hero of a 12-inning victory facing our division rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies. On April 10, at Shea Stadium, Angel delivered the game-winning single which drove in Jose Reyes to complete the 4-3 win. " I saw the center-fielder was playing shallow, but I trusted Reyes' speed," said Pagan. "Right now, I feel great and I'm trying to do whatever I can to help the team win any way that we can."

Then on May 7th, Angel would be derailed by injury. While catching a fly ball off the bat of Dodger's hitter, Andre Eithier he fell into the stands along the left-field line in Los Angeles. Pagan would leave the game and only pinch-hit in two later games before being placed on the disabled list. The team reported it as a bruised shoulder, but the outfielder from Puerto Rico disagreed. "I have a torn labrum," Angel would report, "I had an MRI after we came home from L.A., and that's what they said it was." Season-ending shoulder surgery was performed and was the premature end to his only season at Shea Stadium in a Mets uniform.

Angel Pagan signed his card in the set for me before the New York Mets faced the Chicago Cubs in a game at Wrigley Field on August 29, 2009.