College Baseball Daily continues our countdown to the start of the 2013 college baseball season by checking in on the Top 100 Players in the country. We will be adding players day-by-day until we get to number one!
Number 54 on our Top 100 Countdown is San Diego ’s Michael Wagner. The 6’4 right-handed pitcher from Las Vegas, Nevada was a 28th-round draft pick by the Red Sox in 2010.
As a freshman, Wagner appeared 15 times for the Toreros including two starts. Throughout the season, Wagner posted an ERA of 2.97 over 30.1 innings, striking out 28 batters. His success earned him the honor of being named to the All-West Coast Conference Freshman Team.
During his sophomore season in 2012, Wagner served the primary role of being the Toreros’ closer with 31 appearances. Over his 59.1 innings pitched, he went 5-2 with 19 saves (good for second most in the NCAA), posting an ERA of 2.58 with 53 strikeouts. Wagner also didn’t allow a single home run on the year and his success earned him a variety of honors include WCC Honorable Mention, second-team All-American by NCBWA and third-team All-American by Baseball America. Wagner spent his summer pitching for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod league where he posted an ERA of just 1.57 with 38 strikeouts in 34.1 innings for a record of 2-2. His success earned him a spot in the Cape Cod All-Star Game where he pitched a perfect inning.
As a player who has started four games for the Toreros and will be transitioning to starter in the upcoming season, the versatility that he shows as a pitcher only helps his draft stock. He has a great frame at 6’4 and a sold repertoire highlighted by his fastball (sits in the low-mid 90s) and slider with a developing changeup. As his slider and changeup continue to develop, his ability to transition into a starting position as well as his effectiveness as a closer will see improvement, making him a player with a lot to look forward to and one of the top 100 players to watch for in 2013.
You can check out the rest of our Top 100 by clicking here.
