Gant was a 21st round selection in the 2011 draft out of high school in Florida by the New York Mets. The Mets put him in their Gulf Coast League team that summer, and the 18 year-old showed his inexperience, posting a 6.48 ERA and 1.32 WHIP over 4 appearances, 1 of them a start, totaling 8 1/3 innings. He posted 3 walks and 5 strikeouts in his time that season.
The Mets sent Gant to the Appalachian League to start 2012, and he pitched fairly well, earning a late season promotion to Savannah in the South Atlantic League.