Pre-2025 Scouting Report 
The son of recently inducted Hall of Fame closer Billy Wagner did not inherit his father's ability to strike people out, but instead has a knack for not striking out at all instead. Wagner was acquired in the 2024 trade deadline, along with Jake Bloss, and Joey Loperfido in the Yusei Kikuchi deal.

Wagner, quite simply put, can just flat out hit. He's been a solidly above-average hitter in each of his seasons as a professional baseball player, excelling in putting the ball in play while limiting strikeouts and drawing walks. He has a more passive approach, looking for pitches to hit without chasing much, as in Triple-A, he had a Swing% of only 39.9%, while chasing only 23.8% of the time. However, his ability to make contact when he did choose to swing was great, with a Zone-Contact% of 93.8%, which was in the 97th percentile. Interestingly, in his cup of coffee in the majors with the Jays (before he went down with a season ending hamstring injury), he was less patient, increasing his swing rate by 7%, as well as chasing 6.6% more. His contact rates for swings in the zone remained just as good, but he may have needed an adjustment to deal with more polished major league pitching and sequencing. Still, it didn’t stop him from being the first Blue Jays rookie to ever have a 5-hit game against the Twins in August.

Wagner has very limited in-game power, although he had respectable exit velocities with an 88.1 mph Average Exit Velocity in Triple-A, as well as a 103.7 mph (90th percentile) Max EV. It is worth noting that Wagner was hitting the ball harder in the majors, up to a 90.6 mph EV and a 104.6 mph (90th percentile) Max EV. The main issue regarding his power potential is that he rarely pulls or lifts the ball, with more of an all-fields approach while also running a 49.0% ground ball rate. His ability to make good, solid contact on swings in the zone, as well as his patented patient approach should still result in him being a good hitter, but may limit his offensive potential without too many extra-base hits or home runs.

Defensively, there are concerns about Wagner's defense, with the Astros playing him more at first base than they did at second base in 2024. In the limited sample size in the majors, Wagner had one Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and one Outs Above Average (OAA) in 172 innings played, but that's too small of a sample size to say that he can be an average defender at second. However, the Jays just traded for one of the best second base defenders in Andres Gimenez, so Wagner is unlikely to see much playing time at second.

With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. occupying first base, Wagner may find it difficult to find a position on the field to play. He has had minor league experience at the hot corner, but his arm strength was only in the 18th percentile and his lack of range may prove difficult to contend with now that Bo Bichette is back after a lost season. It is more likely that Wagner sees more DH time. Wagner's limited defensive profile and lack of power is what's most likely going to prevent him from being a full-time starter, but the Jays are definitely going to try to find a way to add his bat to the lineup, especially against righties.

- Simon Li