Blue Jays 40-man Roster Review: Will Wagner had a nice big league debut at the end of the 2024 season

It’s safe to say that Will Wagner has the best hit tool of any Toronto Blue Jays prospect.

This is Blue Jays Nation’s annual 40-man Roster Review, where we look at the players on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster. We’ll look at how the player performed in 2024, his season projections for the 2025 season, and any storylines heading into this coming season. In this article, we’ll look at Will Wagner.

The Houston Astros selected Wagner in the 18th round of the 2021 draft. Son of Billy Wagner, who was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame, the infielder had 134 plate appearances in 2021 with the Astros’ Single-A team where he slashed .299/.388/436.

Wagner’s 2022 season wasn’t great, as he slashed .261/.374/.394 with 10 home runs in 497 plate appearances between High-A and Double-A. However, his 2023 season was his breakout year, as Wagner slashed .337/.420/.518 with seven home runs in 287 plate appearances between their Complex League Team, their Double-A team, and their Triple-A team.

The second baseman was off to a good start in 2024, slashing .307/.424/.429 with five home runs in 324 plate appearances with the Astros’ Triple-A team. Before the trade deadline, Wagner, along with Jake Bloss and Joey Loperfido were traded to the Blue Jays in exchange for Yusei Kikuchi.

Immediately after the trade, Wagner slashed .400/.516/.600 with a home run in 31 plate appearances with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, earning a shot with the big league team toward the end of the season. In 86 plate appearances, Wagner slashed .305/.337/.451 with two home runs for a 125 wRC+ and a 0.6 fWAR. Unfortunately, his season ended a few weeks early as he had a knee procedure.

Wagner’s Fangraphs projections are quite kind. Steamer has him slashing .272/.351/.398 with six home runs in 326 plate appearances for 118 wRC+ and a 1.1 fWAR. He’ll also be above-average according to ATC, as it has him slashing .266/.338/.388 with four home runs in 275 plate appearances. However, OOPSY has him slashing .240/.321/.340 with four home runs in 336 plate appearances for a 93 wRC+.

The storyline regarding Wagner is where the heck will he play in 2025? Wagner proved he was good enough for MLB action last year, but the team traded for Andrés Giménez in December, meaning Wagner won’t get many starts at the keystone. The good news is Wagner has experience playing third base, playing 76 innings at the hot corner last season in the minor leagues. As you likely know, third base is up for grabs, with other prospects like Orelvis Martínez and Addison Barger vying for the starting job.