Neil Kannas Wagner (born January 1, 1984) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

and

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

and in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

for the

Saitama Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, wh ...

Amateur career

Wagner attended

Eden Prairie High School Eden Prairie High School (EPHS) (formerly Eden Prairie Senior High School) is a four-year public high school in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States established in 1923. The present high school opened in 1981 and was significantly added to in ...

Eden Prairie, Minnesota Eden Prairie is a city southwest of downtown Minneapolis in Hennepin County and the 16th-largest city in the State of Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 64,198. The city is adjacent to the north bank of th ...

. He enrolled at

North Dakota State University North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as t ...

, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for the

North Dakota State Bison The North Dakota State Bison are the athletic teams of North Dakota State University (NDSU), which is located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota. The teams are often called the "Thundering Herd". The current logo is a bison. Sports sponsored ...

and studied biology and chemistry. He left before graduating.

Professional career

Cleveland Indians

The

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

selected Wagner in the 21st round of the

2005 Major League Baseball draft The 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. It is widely considered to be one of the best ...

Oakland Athletics

On May 14, 2010, he was traded to the

for cash considerations. He was promoted to the majors for the first time by the Athletics on August 30, 2011. 100 1050 Neil Wagner

San Diego Padres

On May 28, 2012, Wagner was waived by the Athletics and claimed by the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

. Wagner spent most of 2012 with the Triple-A

Tucson Padres The Tucson Padres were a minor league baseball team representing Tucson, Arizona in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). They were the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team moved to Tucson from Portland, Oregon for the 2011 season. I ...

. He was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on August 23, and became a free agent on November 3.

Toronto Blue Jays

On November 15, 2012, the

signed Wagner to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. The deal was announced by the Jays on November 21, 2012. Wagner began the 2013 season with the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

. He was called up by the

on May 29. Wagner recorded his first career win in a game on June 7 against the Texas Rangers, pitching 1 innings in relief. After posting a 2–3 record with a 3.26 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 20 appearances, Wagner was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on July 21 to make room on the 25-man roster for

Melky Cabrera Melky Cabrera Astacio (born August 11, 1984), nicknamed The Melkman, is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue ...

's return from the disabled list. Wagner was recalled when Cabrera went on the disabled list on August 2, 2013. The Blue Jays optioned Wagner to the Buffalo Bisons on March 14, 2014. He was recalled by the Blue Jays on April 9, 2014, and sent back to Buffalo on April 26. After a consultation with

Dr. James Andrews James Andrews (born May 2, 1942) is an American orthopedic surgeon. He is a surgeon for knee, elbow, and shoulder injuries and is a specialist in repairing damaged ligaments. Practicing in Gulf Breeze, Florida, Andrews has become one of the bes ...

on August 12, 2014, it was determined that Wagner would require

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...

and was expected to miss the rest of the 2014 season as well as the entire 2015 season. He was designated for assignment on September 1, 2014. The following day, Wagner was released.

Tampa Bay Rays

On September 12, Wagner signed a two-year minor league contract with the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

, that included an invitation to 2016 spring training. He was released on August 2, 2017.

New York Mets

On August 15, 2017, Wagner signed a minor league contract with the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

Saitama Seibu Lions

He elected free agency on November 6, 2017, and signed with the

(NPB) on December 13. He was placed on waivers on September 28, 2018.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Neil 1984 births Living people Akron Aeros players American expatriate baseball players in Japan American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from Minnesota Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Charlotte Stone Crabs players Durham Bulls players Gulf Coast Blue Jays players Kinston Indians players Lake County Captains players Las Vegas 51s players Mahoning Valley Scrappers players Major League Baseball pitchers Midland RockHounds players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers North Dakota State Bison baseball players Oakland Athletics players Sacramento River Cats players Saitama Seibu Lions players Surprise Rafters players Toronto Blue Jays players Tucson Padres players West Oahu Canefires players Mankato MoonDogs players