Leon Wagner
| Leon Wagner | |||
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| Left fielder | |||
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Born: May 13, 1934 Chattanooga, Tennessee |
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Died: January 3, 2004 (aged 69) Los Angeles, California |
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| MLB debut | |||
| June 22, 1958, for the San Francisco Giants | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| October 2, 1969, for the San Francisco Giants | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .272 | ||
| Home runs | 211 | ||
| Runs batted in | 669 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Leon Lamar Wagner (May 13, 1934 – January 3, 2004) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) left fielder who played with the San Francisco Giants (1958–59, 1969), St. Louis Cardinals (1960), Los Angeles Angels (1961–63), Cleveland Indians (1964–68) and Chicago White Sox (1968). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, he graduated from Tuskegee University. He was affectionately known as "Daddy Wags" during his playing days. This was due to his distinctive left-handed batting style and his notable and unique body gesticulations, primarily below the waist, before going into his devastating stride. His outfield play did not match his stellar hitting. He was at least briefly in the clothing business, advertising his venture as "Get your glad rags from "Daddy Wags". He was also known as "Cheeky" for his high cheekbones (being of half Native American and half African-American descent).
Wagner, in a 12-season major league career, hit .272 with 211 home runs and 669 RBI in 1352 games.
He broke into the big leagues at age 24 for the San Francisco Giants in their first year in San Francisco on June 22, 1958. A solid line-drive hitter and colorful player, he compiled a .307 batting average with 13 home runs in 74 games as a rookie. Competing for playing time against a congested Giant outfield that included Willie Mays, Felipe Alou, Orlando Cepeda and Bill White, all of whom were superior fielders, he was traded to the Cardinals after the 1959 season.
He was relegated to a reserve role for St. Louis in 39 games and hit four home runs, one of them notable as the first home run ever hit in Candlestick Park on April 12, 1960, for the only Cardinal run in a 3–1 loss to his former team.
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