Former Pirate, Eric Wagaman, earns spot in the Major Leagues!
COSTA MESA -- Eric Wagaman, who played for the Orange Coast College baseball team from 2016-17, saw his boyhood dream come true when he was called up to the Los Angeles Angels Major League ballclub on Tuesday.
Wagaman, a 6-4, 210-pound, 27-year-old from Aliso Niguel High School, played two seasons for the Pirates, under former longtime head coach, John Altobelli. As a Pirate, he batted .332 his sophomore season with 14 home runs and 49 RBI. His 14 HR in 2017 were the seventh-most for one season in school history and his strong play earned him first-team, All-Orange Empire Conference honors. Wagaman helped guide the Pirates to a 36-12 overall record, an OEC championship and a spot in the Southern California Super Regional playoffs, where they lost to El Camino in a best-of-three series.
"I told (head coach Nate Johnson) I thought of Alto about 5 minutes after I got the news," Wagaman said following Tuesday night's game. "I got to the team hotel, had about 30 minutes before I got on the bus, walked into the clubhouse got introduced to a bunch of people, media came up and did an interview, met some of the teammates, ate some food, took batting practice, showered then headed out to the field. I just walked out onto the field and tried to just take it all in. It was just really, really cool."
After his Coast career, Wagaman was a 13th-round selection (392nd pick overall) by the New York Yankees. He moved up the Minor League levels for the next six seasons before being acquired by the Angels prior to the 2024 season. After stints in the Angels' AA and AAA programs this year, he earned the call to the Major Leagues on Tuesday.
For his minor league career, Wagaman has a .249 career batting average with 58 home runs and 230 RBI over 514 games played. This year in the minors, "Wags" has a .274 average with 17 home runs and 60 RBI.
"I'm so proud of Wags," Johnson said. Johnson was an assistant coach for the Pirates during Wagaman's tenure. "Six years of grinding in the minors and now he's getting to live every Orange County kid's dream tonight when he puts on that Angels uniform. I know Alto would be just as proud as I am, and he'll be out there with Wags."
