Friday, November 13, 2009

#17 Leon Wagner

1962 Post
Leon Lamar Wagner (Daddy Wags)
Outfielder
Bats: Left , Throws: Right
Height: 6' 1" , Weight: 195 lb.
Born: May 13, 1934 in Chattanooga, TN

Traded by Toronto (International) to the Los Angeles Angels for Lou Johnson on April 13, 1961.

1947-66 Exhibit

ANGELS DEBUT:
Grounded out to first base at Boston on April 17, 1961.
Later traded by the Los Angeles Angels to the Cleveland Indians for Barry Latman on December 2, 1963. The Cleveland Indians sent Joe Adcock (December 6, 1963) to the Los Angeles Angels to complete the trade.

ANGELS RECORD:
1961-1963
Hit .279 with 91 HR and 276 RBI as a regular starting outfielder.
First Angel aquired by an in-season trade.
37 HR and 107 RBI in 1962.
AL All-Star in 1962 and 1963, and won the All-Star MVP in 1963.

baseball-reference:
Leon Wagner (Daddy Wags) was the first big hitting star of the expansion Los Angeles Angels, whom he joined in 1961. He had broken in with the 1958 San Francisco Giants, hitting .317 and slugging .534, but he had to compete for playing time in the late 1950's with other youngsters such as Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, and Felipe Alou.
Prior to playing in the majors, he played on the All-Army Champion Team with J.C. Hartman, Willie Kirkland, and music star Charley Pride.
He had three good years with the Angels, reaching a peak of 37 home runs in 1962. He was an All-Star in 1962 and 1963. From 1964 to part of 1968 he was with the Cleveland Indians, hitting 31 home runs in 1964. After baseball he owned a clothing store, but he eventually ended up homeless. He built a shed to live in, and died there in 2004.

1963 Topps

No comments:

Post a Comment