On Jan. 21, Wagner will learn if he is elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. Time has all but run out for him to get the call for MLB’s highest honor from the writers.
To be considered for the BBWAA (Baseball Writers’ Association of America) ballot, ball players mostly play the waiting game. Once in retirement for five years and after playing for at least 10 seasons, a player is eligible for the BBWAA vote.
If a player receives 5 percent of the ballots cast, they will remain eligible. Wagner’s name has remained on the ballot for 10 years. If he doesn’t snag at least 75 percent of the vote later this month, his name is permanently off the writers’ ballot.
Last year, Wagner gained 5.7 percent more votes than in 2023. His 2024 total was 284 votes. This total translated into Wagner receiving 73.8 percent from the writers.
After playing the waiting game for 15 years, Wagner seems to be patiently on deck for the final count to be announced live on MLB Network. The voting results will be revealed from the plaque gallery inside the Hall of Fame.
The seven-time National League All-Star who took a liking to wearing No. 13 doesn’t plan on sitting by his phone all day on Jan. 21. Individuals elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA receive a phone call from Jack O'Connell—secretary-treasurer of the BBWAA with the good news.
During a phone conversation earlier this week with The Epoch Times from his Virginia home, for someone on the cusp of reaching baseball’s highest level of achievement, there have been other success stories in Wagner’s life that are front and center.
“It was ideal. For me, and the biggest thing for my sister Chasity, when we were growing up, is that we learned how to be survivors. Our faith was tested. It’s easy to look back and be angry.”
Growing up in Tannersville in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, Wagner’s dreams of playing professional baseball one day were so far from reality that he rarely thought about the possibility.
“[Tannersville] was mainly all farmers, tobacco, and dairy. There was a lot of hunting going on, too,” said Wagner, who was a natural-born right-hander. Due to fracturing his arm twice as a child playing football, he learned to pitch left-handed.
Exposed to an emotional roller coaster in early childhood, when Wagner and his sister were shuffled between living with their teenage parents, grandparents, and stepparents, all the while relying on food stamps to get them through mealtimes.
This was a period in Wagner’s life where it was easy for him to dive into baseball as an escape.
After his parents divorced, the Wagner children bounced to different addresses for a decade. However, after high school ball, which entailed a one-hour round trip drive to Tazewell High School weekdays, and pitching later at Division-III Ferrum College, there would be little doubt that Wagner would “survive” on his own in baseball.
“Being naive helps,” Wagner recalls of his leaving Tannersville for the business of MLB. “I didn’t know what to expect when the Houston Astros drafted me. I could have been overwhelmed. But, before getting drafted I played in the summer Cape Cod League, and I was on my own. Then, when I was assigned to Auburn [N.Y.], I didn’t worry. I was just married, and at the time didn’t think of being in the big leagues.”
Even now, after registering a career 2.31 ERA, which is lower than current Hall members elected as relief specialists—Lee Smith, Trevor Hoffman, Bruce Sutter, and “Goose” Gossage, life outside of baseball presented challenges that Wagner conquered. In 1993, Wagner was the top amateur draft selection by the Astros.
Looking back at his rise in the minor leagues and his debut with Houston in 1995, Wagner remembers getting better at each stop. Labeling himself as “young and dumb” at the turn of becoming a pro, Wagner was just happy to be with the Astros, whether he was a starter or relief pitcher.
Names from his baseball past, fellow pitchers—Todd Jones and Craig McMurty, these players are the first on a list compiled by Wagner who were instrumental in molding him as a pro. Having never been to an MLB spring training camp before, and when making his Astros’ debut at 24 years old, Wagner wants to ensure those who shepherded him through the experience get the credit.
Learning the business end of professional sports, as he did with Houston, Wagner understood there was more to baseball than just throwing strikes in late innings for him.
“It wasn’t a graceful departure for me with the Astros,” Wagner said. “I signed a five-year deal to stay with Houston. My third year with the club, [Astros’ general manager] Gerry Hunsicker told me I was getting traded because I was making too much money. I wasn’t happy.”
With this behind him now, Wagner doesn’t need or want to be with his phone anywhere special on Jan. 21. The numbers haven’t changed since his final 71 appearances for the Braves in 2010. Content knowing that his sister is living in Houston and his mother, Yvonne, is settled in a home on his property in Virginia, the former relief ace is enjoying being a father and coach to local kids.
