Freshman Max Wagner wasn’t a key piece of Clemson’s lineup.
Entering the season, he was ranked as the 31st best freshman in the Atlantic Coast Conference by D1Baseball, and No. 36 by Perfect Game.
Wagner did lead the team in a stat category in his first season: games off the bench. He was often used as a defensive replacement at the hot corner late in games. The infielder did make 22 starts at third base, but didn’t find much success, hitting just .215 with two home runs and a .651 OPS.
For the first five games of 2022, it was back to being a late-inning defensive replacement. That was until he emerged as one of the country’s best hitters.
In 58 games as a sophomore, Wagner hit .370 with an on-base percentage close to .500. He mashed 27 home runs and 15 doubles, slugged a ridiculous .852 and boasted a 1.348 OPS. He was named ACC Player of the Year, a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and Golden Spikes Award, and first-team All-American by just about every outlet you could find.
Wagner went on to be the No. 42 overall pick by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2022 MLB Draft.
The Clemson product’s first professional season had road bumps, as many debut seasons do, but he showed lots of potential. The then 21-year-old had already worked his way up to Double-A Bowie, where he had an OPS of .717 in 27 games. Not otherworldly numbers, but lots to build on.
2024 didn’t go as planned.
“It was definitely rough,” Wagner said somberly at Prince George’s Stadium in Bowie yesterday. “It was probably one of the hardest seasons I’ve had playing baseball. I’ve really never dealt with injury.”
In December of 2023, Wagner hit the injured list with a fractured hamate bone in his left hand. While this type of injury typically takes 6-to-8 weeks of rehab, it can have ripple effects in your power for a long time.
The infielder was reinstated from the injured list in mid-May of 2024, but found himself there once again about a month later. This time, it was with a lower back injury.
Trips on and off the injured list never allowed Wagner to find his rhythm. He appeared in just 25 games across three levels of the minors, and hit just .151 with a .503 OPS, a far cry from his former offensive prowess. Sporadic availability in the midst of injuries tends to have that impact.
But now, Wagner is back with the Baysox after a healthy offseason, one in which he focused on getting his body in the best shape possible.
“Spent a lot of time on more of the little things,” Wanger told me. “Obviously I want to get stronger and do lifts to make me stronger, but also hitting those smaller lifts and mobility stuff. Just making sure the body is sound in those little areas rather than biceps and stuff like that.”
Getting stronger was a big point of emphasis, as was his versatility. With third and second base as primary positions, Wagner aspires to be a jack-of-all trades type of player at the next level, capable of bouncing around defensively and hitting in any spot in the lineup.
Naturally, he looks to Jordan Westburg, who does that pretty well.
“That’s the guy that people have said, just because of how versatile he is, he’s able to play wherever, hit in whatever spot in the lineup,” Wagner said. “That’s kind of what I want to be. Any way to get in the lineup. I’ll get in the outfield, I’ll catch if I have to. Any way to get in the lineup and play.”
Just playing ball anywhere that’s needed and having fun doing it. It’s a simple approach for Wagner, one that’s developed from having labored through a baseball season more than he ever has before.
“I just want to go out there and have fun because that was kind of taken away from me last year … Baseball is hard enough. I don’t want to think about stats or stuff like that. I just want to go out there and have fun with the guys and enjoy the time because you only play this game for so long.”