Inside The Phillies

Son of Former Philadelphia Phillies All-Star Has Incredible MLB Debut

The son of a former Philadelphia Phillies All-Star just made his MLB debut with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Dylan Sanders

Mar 4, 2005; Clearwater, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Billy Wagner (13) in action during spring training against the Detroit Tigers at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium.
Mar 4, 2005; Clearwater, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Billy Wagner (13) in action during spring training against the Detroit Tigers at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium. / Lou Capozzola-USA TODAY Sports
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A former Philadelphia Phillies closer is having one of the best days a baseball father could have as his son just made his MLB debut.

Will Wagner was in the Toronto Blue Jays farm system for just a couple of weeks but the team has already felt good enough about him to call him up in hopes of boosting their offense.

Wagner, and infielder, is the son of former Phillies All-Star Billy Wagner.

His father was with Philadelphia for just two seasons, but they were good enough to leave a mark on the franchise.

Between his two seasons in a Phillies uniform, he had a 1.86 ERA and 59 saves. His 2005 was one of the best years of his career and landed him a spot on the All-Star team.

He fell just short of being named to the Hall of Fame this past January, missing out by just five votes. It was his ninth-time on the ballot, giving him one more chance to make it before falling off of ballots.

The younger Wagner, 26, was moved to the Blue Jays at the trade deadline. He was a part of the shockingly big haul that Toronto brought in from the Houston Astros for reliever Yusei Kikuchi.

Even moreso than with Philadelphia, his father was a bonafide legend with the Astros. It probably played a large part in Houston taking a flier on him in the 18th round of the 2021 MLB draft.

He spent his college years at Liberty. He was never a big power hitter, but did have a nice stretch with a .305/.377/.462 slashing line over four seasons.

The infield prospect debuted as the No. 21 player in the Blue Jays farm system. He's not the flashiest player in the world, but has been consistently getting hits at the minor league level.

At the Triple-A level this campaign, he had a .315/.432/.444 slashing line with six home runs and 43 RBI. He got off to a hot start with Toronto, with a .400/.516/.600 line in his first seven games.

He's a bit of a negative as a fielder, not fitting anywhere naturally, but doesn't have the power that many would want out of a designated hitter. It's likely a big reason that the Astros felt okay moving him despite his success at the plate.

His big league debut was as good as many could ask for as he got a hit each of his first three at-bats, including a double and an RBI.

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Dylan Sanders

DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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