Orioles prospect Max Wagner using highs of 2022 breakout to propel preparation for first full season

Wagner's 27-homer season at Clemson was a surprise, and isn't far from his mind as he looks to learn from a cameo at Aberdeen when the minor league season starts next month.

It’s hard to blame Max Wagner for getting home last fall following a whirlwind college season and professional debut and simply needing a minute to unwind. 

A college season that began on the bench for Clemson’s first game of the season ended with Wagner’s prolific power landing him as a first-day Orioles draft pick, and after some early success in pro ball, he ended the year with a challenging stint in High-A.

“After I got home for good I pretty much had to take a deep breath,” Wagner told me this month. “It felt like a lot of stuff was going on that happened in the span of just a little bit of time.”

All that–good and bad–formed the foundation for Wagner’s first full season of pro ball, which is set to begin next month with Aberdeen. He’s taking confidence from the former, and trying to learn from the latter.