Wagner helping propel Drive

Mark Wagner can’t imagine doing anything other than playing baseball.

If he keeps playing this well, he should be doing it professionally for awhile to come.

Wagner, who played at UC Irvine from 2003 through 2005, is having a successful season this year for the Boston Red Sox Class A affiliate, the Greenville Drive of Greenville, S.C.

Through Sunday, the 22-year-old catcher was leading the South Atlantic League with a .305 batting average.

His 31 doubles were tied for second in the league, first on his team, and his 102 hits also led the Drive.

He had seven home runs and 43 RBIs.

Many teams don’t expect that kind of offensive production out of their catchers. Then again, many teams don’t have Wagner, who batted .355 during his junior year at UCI in 2005 on his way to second-team All-Big West Conference honors.

“I’m seeing the ball good right now,” said Wagner, who stands 6-foot-1 and bats and throws right-handed. “As long as I can stay healthy, everything should continue to go good. It’s my first full season, so I’m just trying to do my best.”

His best has helped Greenville to second place in the second-half standings of the South Atlantic League’s Southern Division.

Wagner grew up in Lakewood and attended Mayfair High. After his senior year at Mayfair, he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 29th round in 2002.

Like many in his situation, Wagner instead decided to go to college, spending three seasons at UCI.

After his junior year with the Anteaters, Wagner was drafted in the ninth round by the Red Sox.

He went to the short-season Class-A affiliate, the Lowell (Mass.) Spinners of the New York-Penn League in late 2005. He played in just 24 games and batted .203 with no homers and six RBIs in 69 at-bats.

“That showed me what pro ball was like,” Wagner said. “I had a lot of learning to do, so I had to get my feet wet and go about my business.”

But Wagner is playing better than ever this year for the Drive, and that doesn’t surprise UCI Coach Dave Serrano. In Serrano’s first season at the helm, which was Wagner’s final campaign as an Anteater, Wagner helped lead the team to a 31-25 record and was voted the team’s Most Valuable Player.

“He was a pretty good offensive catcher, and you just don’t see many of those guys nowadays,” Serrano said. “We’re very proud of what he has done. One thing I am surprised with is that he has adapted so quickly to the wood bat.”

Wagner said the toughest thing about minor league baseball so far has been the grind of playing day in and day out. Wagner and his teammates typically arrive at the field at 1 p.m. for a 7 p.m. start.

He said he has thrown out a high percentage of opposing runners who attempt to steal. But, since catcher is a particularly demanding position, Wagner gets an occasional break when Drive Manager Luis Alicea, a former big league middle infielder, utilizes him as the designated hitter.

“My coaches at UCI would always keep telling me ‘Get ready for pro ball,’ ” Wagner said. “But very few people know what it’s like. To go out there day in and day out in five pounds of [catcher’s] gear and in 100-degree heat; it’s something special to do. It’s tough to prepare for.”

Wagner had already emerged as a “gamer” in his UCI days, playing in a team-high 55 games during his junior season. He had played in 91 games for Greenville through Sunday.

“We probably overly prepared him for the grind of catching,” said Serrano with a laugh. “It definitely is a grind, but obviously it isn’t affecting his offensive numbers this year.”

He has quite a way to go before making it to the major-league level, but a reminder of where Wagner wants to be greets him at every home game. The Drive’s stadium is a replica of Boston’s Fenway Park, right down to the “Green Monster” as the left-field wall.

“It’s hard to plan ahead,” he admitted. “You can only take care of what you can take care of. You hope that the organization has a plan for you and you have a chance of getting to the major leagues.”

One catcher who has ? Red Sox team captain Jason Varitek ? had a conversation with Wagner during spring training.

“It was mostly about how to go about your business day in and day out as catcher,” Wagner said. “He’s a cool guy. We broke down baseball a little bit and just chatted. I hope to talk to him next spring training, too.”

But whether Wagner makes it to the big leagues or not, he knows how he wants to earn his paycheck.

“I can’t imagine waking up and not having to go out in baseball gear,” he said. “I’d be lost. This is definitely it.”