Lucas Boland/Caller Times / USA TODAY NETWORK
Houston Astros Prospect Wagner's Successful Fall Bolsters Chances of 2023 Contributions
On the same evening the Houston Astros advanced to the American League Championship Series, Will Wagner took to the batter's box at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Arizona Fall League conducted a triple header of contests at Chase Field on Saturday. And although the Astros only had one prospect in play, Wagner was of a small crowd to actually piece together a hit.
That crowd held two members: Wagner and Kansas City Royals farmhand John Rave. Wagner went 1-for-3 on the night with a pair of punch outs. Although not his most impressive showing thus far, the lefty is proving to be a quick riser in Houston's system.
Wagner has started eight games at the hot corner under manager Mickey Storey — who could be penciling in 'Wagner' again next year. Batting near the top of the order in almost all his appearances, he's slashed a healthy .393/.469/.714 with seven of his 11 hits being for extra bases.
Wagner hasn't clubbed a home run yet, but his seven extra-base knocks are broken down to five doubles and two triples. Driving the ball well, he's also shown a keen eye, walking four times to his seven strikeouts.
Dubbed the "athletic Max Muncy," Wagner is poised to carry this success into next season. After starting the year in High-A, he played a larger chunk of the season in Corpus Christi, sporting an .804 OPS over the latter two months of the year.
Wagner could as well start back with the Hooks in April, but his success against some of the top pitching prospects in the sport has shown glimpses of what could come in spring training.
A quick rise is expected, and giving non-personnel evaluators a first look of Wagner with statcast data, his bat is improving his case of starting April in Triple-A Sugar Land, a step closer to being infield depth to the 40-man roster.
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