Orioles 2022 second-round draft pick Max Wagner struggled initially this season with High-A Aberdeen, but he has come around of late.
Wagner had a rough start to the year, hitting .154/.260/.246 with 21 strikeouts, 10 hits and one home run in 65 at-bats in April. Since then, he has hit .279/..411/.483 with 56 hits and nine home runs in 201 at-bats, entering play July 27.
The 6-foot, 215-pound infielder has played 72 games for the IronBirds so far. Overall, Wagner has hit .248/.375/.425 with 24 extra-base hits.
“I’m proud that I failed right away, right when I started the year,” Wagner said on Glenn Clark Radio July 18. “It was just a really rough way to start the year. I had a really good spring training and then came up here, and I think I went 0-for-20 to start the year, which is obviously not how you want to start your first [full] professional season, but I’m glad I went through that.”
Wagner also has 25 stolen bases on the season. He enjoys stealing bases because it can affect a pitcher’s focus and can mess him up on his next pitch. He had just four steals in two college seasons.
“I’m not going to lie, I do have fun stealing bases out there,” Wagner said. “It’s just allowing me to be a kid again, in my opinion. Just kind of running out there, just having fun, that’s kind of what I feel like when I’m stealing bases.”
There are other differences between pro ball and college ball that Wagner has noticed. Along with the step up in competition, Wagner has found the bats to play differently as well.
“Different bat, obviously using wood, so it’s definitely an adjustment to that because obviously you pretty much have got to hit it perfect with the wood bats compared to the bats we used in college where you could pretty much hit it wherever on the bat,” Wagner said.
The Orioles preach patience at the plate to their hitters. Wagner said that patience has always been in his mind while at the plate, but the Orioles have played a major role in developing that during his professional career.
Wagner said that when there are less than two strikes, he is looking for a pitch in the middle of the plate to swing at. If it’s not there, he will take that pitch and look for a better pitch in the next go around.
“That’s always something that I’ve had on my mind as a hitter, just work your walks. Walks are as good as a single,” Wagner said. “From an [organizational] standpoint, they really talked to us right when we got drafted about swinging at good pitches and pitches that we can do damage with, and then obviously, when it gets to two strikes, then we’ve got to fight a little bit more.”
Wagner played college ball for Clemson University from 2021-2022. In 2022, Wagner was voted a first-team All-American by ABCA, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball, NCBWA and Perfect Game. He was the ACC Player of the Year and won the Mitchell Award, given to Clemson’s Most Valuable Player.
After being drafted in the second round, Wagner split time between the Florida Complex League, Low-A Delmarva and Aberdeen in 2022. He hit .243/.353/.386 with six extra-base hits.
Wagner said does not like to ride the highs of the season because baseball can be so humbling. He said that when things are going well, that false sense of security can flip quickly. All he can do is understand how to deal with the ups and downs and keep going about his business.
The MLB trade deadline is Aug. 1. Because Wagner is a young and talented prospect, his name has been thrown around in trade rumors.
“You know, it’s something that you really don’t think about,” Wagner said. “Granted, it can happen, but I just go about my business every day, and I’m just playing baseball. That’s not my decision, and I just go out there and try to have fun playing baseball.”
For more from Wagner, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Kadalena Messiano