Wagner’s Son Gets Invite To Spring Training
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Billy Wagner could be on the verge of being inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame.
Wagner, a stellar closer with a number of teams including the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies, had a jump to 68.1 percent of the 75 percent needed and he still has two times remaining on the ballot.
Now in a new role, Wagner will have a chance to watch as his son Will has been invited to spring training with the Astros as a non-roster player.
The Astros drafted Will in the 18th round out of Liberty University in 2021.
Will, a left-handed-hitting infielder, slashed .261/.374/.394 with 10 home runs and 53 RBI in 117 Minor League games between High-A Asheville and Double-A Corpus Christi last season.
He finished second in the Arizona Fall League in OPS (1.145) slashing .346/.433/.712 with three homers and 15 RBI in 52 at-bats.
"I’m excited for him because he’s earned it,” Billy Wagner told Astros.com. “He’s had some good seasons. I think the Fall League was a big jump for him. I think that was something that was exciting to watch and see him have success and hit so well. They won a championship out there. He knows he’s got a lot of work, but I think being around guys that have the work ethic and know the game, you get to see what it’s about. That’s for anybody in their first camp.”
Will is expected to open the season at Double-A, but you never know.
“I know he’s excited; he’s embraced it,” Billy told Astros.com. “I know that the moment’s not big for him. He knows the game. He’s just excited, like me and his mom. You get drafted in the 18th round, you better do a lot of things well. And he’s put in the hard work, and I’m happy for him. He knows he’s got to do more and continue to do what he’s doing. To be around those guys, it’s a big honor for him.”
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