By: Brian Frank
Baseball has been a big part of Will Wagner’s life for as long as he can remember. That’s how it goes when your father is one of the greatest pitchers in major league history. Wagner is the son of legendary closer Billy Wagner.
“I just look at him as my dad, not a baseball player,” Will Wagner said in a recent interview with The Herd Chronicles. “But he helped me get to the point where I am now. I mean, without him, I'm probably not here, so I give him all the thanks in the world for that.”
Wagner has many childhood memories of hanging out at major league stadiums with his dad.
“I was in the clubhouse since I was about two years old,” he said. “When my dad played for the Phillies, I was in the clubhouse all the time.”
“One of my favorite memories is probably when me and my brother were at Wrigley Field taking BP,” he added with a chuckle. “Sammy Sosa came up out of nowhere – and I kind of blew him off to take more BP on the field.”
Wagner grew up around the game. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles
Although Wagner followed in his dad’s footsteps on the baseball field, he didn’t follow him to the pitcher’s mound. The younger Wagner is an infielder.
“I was (a pitcher) a little bit in little league, but kind of gave up on it going into high school," he explained. "I wasn't a big fan of pitching. I liked being in there every day playing.”
Wagner played high school baseball at the Miller School of Albemarle in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he starred alongside former Bison Tanner Morris. Wagner was well acquainted with his manager – it was his father.
“I loved it,” he said of playing for his dad. “He wasn't one of the dad-coaches where he was always on me. He's only on me for my effort level. He wasn't ever on me if I went oh-for-this game. He wasn't chewing me out. He was always just about the effort level of the game.”
Wagner was named All-State his senior season, when he helped lead his team to the Virginia state championship.
“Winning the state championship was pretty cool,” he said. “It was our high school’s first state championship in a while. My dad just took over the program a few years back – and that was his first one, so it was cool to share it with him.”
Wagner attended Liberty University, where he was teammates with current Bisons reliever Mason Fluharty. Wagner was named a two-time ASUN All Conference member. He hit .305 in his four seasons, including slashing .333/.399/.538 with seven home runs and 52 RBIs his senior season.
“My sophomore year we won the ASUN tournament and ended up going to a regional at UNC,” he said when asked what moment from his college career stood out to him. “That was pretty cool because it was my first full year. My freshman year I didn't play that much and then my first year we ended up winning the championship, so that was cool.”
Wagner has a 1.116 OPS in seven games with Buffalo. Photo Credit: Brian Frank.
After his senior season, Wagner was selected by the Houston Astros in the 18th round of the 2021 MLB Draft.
“That was kind of a tough day,” he said. “I kind of had mixed reviews. I didn't know where I was going to go. I was told I was going to go in the second day. I got pushed back to the third day. There were points where I didn't think I was going to get drafted. So not my best day. I was just relieved I got drafted somewhere.”
He was also a little surprised it was the Astros, a team his father starred for from 1995 to 2003, that picked him.
“I barely talked to them,” he said. “I had maybe one interview with their guy. I really didn't think I was going to go there. I had a lot of other talks with other guys and other scouts, and I was like, I probably won't be going to Houston. Then they called me in the 17th round, saying, ‘Hey, we're drafting you.’ Just out of nowhere. I was like – thank god.”
Wagner then reported to the Fayetteville Woodpeckers in Low-A for his first taste of minor-league baseball.
“Definitely different,” he said of going from college to professional baseball. “You're playing every single day. I think it's hard, because in college, you play four times a week, and then professional is six times a week and you only get one off day a week. So that transition was pretty tough at first – just trying to get my body into the routine of that.”
If the adjustment was difficult for him, it didn’t show in his performance. Wagner slashed an impressive .299/.388/.436 in 31 games during his first professional season. In 2022, he began the year at High-A Asheville, where he slashed .276/.392/.405 in 45 games, before being promoted to Double-A where he slashed .251/.362/.387 in 72 games.
“That was a special year,” he said of his second professional season. “Just a lot of growing up to do, a lot of maturing. I got promoted that year to Double-A, and then Double-A kind of humbled me a little bit. That was a learning curve, but I took that into the off season and went back to Double-A (in 2023) and learned from it.”
After the regular season was over, he headed to the Arizona Fall League to play for the Surprise Saguaros, where he regained his stride. In 14 games in the Fall League, he slashed an incredible .346/.433/.712 with three home runs, 15 RBIs, and a 1.145 OPS.
“That was probably one of the best experiences of my life, baseball wise,” he remembered. “That was so much fun. So many players on that team I was on are in the big leagues now – and you're playing against talent that's now in the big leagues. We actually ended up winning it that year too. The manager of that team (former Bisons pitcher Mickey Storey) was also my manager in Triple-A (in 2023 and 2024).”
He began last season at Double-A Corpus Christi, but suffered an injury in late May that required surgery and kept him out of action for almost two months.
“I broke my hamate bone and that was tough because I had to go back to Florida to rehab,” he said. “That was probably one of the tougher times in my career, because I've never had an injury keep me out that long and I've never had surgery. So that was my first surgery. That was really tough. It was an up and down year, but I just kind of wanted to come back and start hitting right away again.”
Despite the injury, he continued to put up big numbers at Double-A, slashing .309/.385/.507 in 53 games for Corpus Christi. In late September, he made his Triple-A debut for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys. In six games before the season drew to a close, Wagner proved he could perform at the Triple-A level, going 15-for-26 at the plate with a 1.299 OPS.
“I was a little nervous at first, but once I got the first game out of the way, it was no different from double A.” he said. “You just face a lot more veteran guys that have big league experience, but they have the same stuff. You’ve just got to stay level headed and you’ll get through it.”
This season, he put up more big numbers for Sugar Land, slashing .307/.424/.429. One of the big reasons for his success this year is his impressive strikeout to walk ratio. In 70 games with Sugar Land this season, he only struck out just 33 times, while drawing 54 walks.
“Just my approach and my game planning every game,” he explained of his success. “I just look at the pitcher and what they're going to throw me and make sure I get my pitch and don't chase.”
Wagner has played second base and third base for the Herd. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles
The day before this year’s major-league trade deadline, news broke that the Blue Jays had traded starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi to the Astros. Initial reports indicated the return going back to Toronto was pitcher Jake Bloss. However, eventually the entire package from the Astros became known, and it was more than just a player for player swap. Going to Toronto in the deal were Bloss, outfielder Joey Loperfido, and Wagner.
“I didn't think I was going be the one that got traded,” Wagner said. “My team was pretty stacked and I had a couple buddies that I thought maybe were going to be leaving. But instead it was me, which was really weird.”
“I was playing video games with my buddy, (infielder) Shay (Whitcomb). (Bisons reliever) Mason Fluharty texted me asking if I was in the trade. I was like, ‘No shot I'm in it.’ Then 20 minutes later, the GM from the Astros called me and was like, ‘Hey, we're trading you to Toronto.’ I was like, ‘Wow, that's crazy.’ So, yeah, it was weird, for sure. I'm still adjusting to it.”
“It’s definitely a new opportunity," he continued. “I think it's a better opportunity too. The Astros have three guys in the infield that play every day for them that are probably going to be Hall of Famers one day. Here, there's a little bit of a younger team and maybe a little bit more opportunity. Then there’s guys like Bo and Vlad to learn from too. So that's pretty cool.”
The 26-year-old left-handed hitter hasn’t missed a beat since joining the Blue Jays organization. He doubled in his first at-bat with the Bisons and ended his first game with the Herd going 2-for-4 with a double, walk, and an RBI.
“I was really nervous for that first game,” he said. “I just wanted to start on a good note. I just got that first hit out of the way and once that happened, I could relax a little bit more.”
In his first seven games with the Herd, Wagner is 10-for-25 with a home run, two doubles, and five walks, while slashing .400/.516/.600.
“I love the team,” he said of joining the Bisons. “I'm still getting to know everyone. I still don't know everyone's name. But I love it here. They're good guys. They came in and just welcomed me in. It’s a good group of guys and they play hard. It's kind of the same atmosphere as what I left in Sugar Land, so it's been good.”
Comments