 He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 1972 amateur draft and played for the Tigers shortstop from 1976 to 1980.He later played with the Texas Rangers (1981–1983) and Oakland Athletics (1984).Over nine seasons in the Major Leagues, Wagner played in 414 games and had a .243 batting average, 205 hits, 81 runs scored, 71 RBIs, 61 walks, 20 doubles, 12 RBIs, nine triples and three home runs.