This colorful outfielder hit .317 with 13 home runs in 74 games as a Giants rookie to earn a spot on the TSN 1958 Rookie All-Star team. A powerful, lefthanded pull hitter, he finished third in the 1962 AL home run race when he hit 37 for the Angels. That summer he played in both All-Star games; in the second contest, he went 3-for-4, including a two-run HR off Art Mahaffey in the AL’s 9-4 win. As Cleveland’s left fielder from 1964 through 1967, he hit 97 HR. A respected pinch hitter, he led the AL with 46 appearances off the bench in 1968, splitting the season between the Indians and White Sox.
Wagner was a professional actor for several years and had a role in Bingo Long’s Traveling All Stars, a movie about a black barnstorming team. Always well-dressed, he owned a clothing store whose slogan was “Buy Your Rags at Daddy Wags.”
