East Granby High School Graduate Signs Professional Baseball Contract
EAST GRANBY, CT — A rich family baseball tradition continues in East Granby, as a former standout high school player and son of the owner of four World Series rings has signed a contract to play professionally.
Christian Fagnant, a left-handed hitting catcher who was an All-Conference player for the Crusaders before graduating in 2019, signed Monday with the Washington Nationals’ organization.
“Christian had a goal since his freshman year, and that was someday to be a professional baseball player,” retired East Granby head coach Bob Bromage told Patch. “His hard work, determination and taking advantage of his opportunities has enabled him to achieve that goal. He is a real gentleman, but underneath is a fierce competitor. He has a great combination of competitiveness and intelligence.”
Find out what's happening in Granby-East Granbywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Fagnant, 23, had been selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 39th round of the 2019 draft, but did not sign with them, opting to honor his commitment to play at Div. III Amherst College. The 2020 season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and he chose to sit out the Mammoths’ abbreviated schedule in 2021.
In both of those years, Fagnant played for the New Britain Bees in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. Squatting behind the plate in New Britain Stadium, he followed in the footsteps of his dad, Ray, who spent three years as a catcher in the Boston Red Sox farm system, including the 1991 campaign at adjacent Beehive Field.
Find out what's happening in Granby-East Granbywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
In spring 2021, the younger Fagnant spent two months as bullpen catcher for the Red Sox Triple-A team in Worcester, then following the Bees’ season, he returned to the WooSox before being surprised by a call from the big league team. He spent September as a bullpen catcher at Fenway Park.
“Not a bad way to end the summer,” Fagnant said on his Instagram page.
He finally suited up for Amherst in 2022. In three seasons, he appeared in 78 games, batting .276 with 10 home runs, 54 runs batted in and a .373 on-base percentage. He also continued playing summer ball in several collegiate loops, slugging a grand slam in the 2023 Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game.
“I saw that we were down. If I hit a home run, we’re right back in it,” Fagnant told the Suffolk Times following the game. “[Pitcher Jaylen Cruz] had a pretty good change-up and threw it once. I fouled it off. I’d seen both his pitches. I knew he was probably coming back with a fastball. I knew this park is where the ball flies to right field. I had a pretty good feeling it was going out.”
He returned to New Britain for nine games beginning last month. His final appearance for the Bees came on July 17.
Fagnant was not chosen in the recent MLB draft, but signed with the Nationals as a free agent. He will report to the club’s rookie league affiliate in the Florida Complex League.
Amherst head coach J.P. Pyne told Patch, “I am extremely excited for Christian. He is getting the chance to live out his childhood dream and get paid to play a game he loves. We are all proud of Christian, and look forward to following his career.”
His dad began working as a Red Sox scout in 1993, and was put in charge of the northeast region the following year. He remains in that post, collecting World Series rings from the team’s championships in 2004, 2007, 2013 and 2018. He worked on the Team USA staff at four World Baseball Classic tournaments, and served as bullpen catcher for the U.S. national team under recent Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Jim Leyland.
“He’s worked very hard for this, it’s always been his passion and his goal and he is grateful for the opportunity,” Ray Fagnant told Patch. “He has great coaches and resources at his disposal. The Nationals have an amazing facility with everything you could ever need to get better, so he is very anxious to work hard every day. He is also very grateful for the great coaches he has had, including Bob Bromage at East Granby and J.P. Pyne at Amherst. He’s also always had great teammates and community support.”
As of publication time, Fagnant had not yet returned a message from Patch seeking comment.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.