Wagner taken on first day of MLB Draft

Clemson has its first player off the board in the Major League Baseball Draft.

Sophomore infielder Max Wagner was selected in the second round by the Baltimore Orioles, who took Wagner with the 42nd overall pick late Sunday. Should Wagner choose to sign with the Orioles, he would receive a signing bonus of approximately $1.86 million, according to MLB.com, though teams could mix and match their allotted bonus pools to offer certain players more than slot value.

Wagner burst on the scene this season en route to ACC Player of the Year honors. He led the Tigers in average (.369), RBIs (76), slugging percentage (.852) and on-base percentage (.496). Wagner tied Khalil Greene’s school record for the most home runs in a single season (27), tied for the third-most in ACC history.

Wagner now has to decide whether to start his professional career early or return to Clemson for another season, though the money may be too much to pass up. Clemson first-year coach Erik Bakich recently told The Clemson Insider he wasn’t anticipating Wagner returning to school.

Wagner has hit .324 in 93 career games at Clemson.