"It was more like catching is a commodity even at (the minor league) level or in college," said Wagner. "If you want to be a Division I team that's going to go to the College World Series, you must have a good catcher.
"I always was athletic enough and capable enough to catch some very good guys. We had some very good prospects on our pitching staff at Cal-Irvine and they needed a guy to take care of them. I seemed to fill the bill better than anybody else."
During the transition process, first under Savage and then Dave Serrano who was named the coach prior to Wagner's junior year, he received a crash course in catching.
"It was everything in general, from receiving to take care of the pitchers to blocking pitches in the dirt," he said. "It was the whole nine yards but I picked it up pretty well."
Under Serrano, Wagner was allowed to start calling pitches instead of relaying them in from the bench.
"Serrano was the pitching coach at Cal-State Fullerton and I worked hard with him," said Wagner. "He let me really work on calling pitches. I could say, 'I think we should throw this.' I really got more leeway there."
Wagner also absorbed perhaps the most important lesson a catcher can learn.
"The No. 1 rule is to make sure you get your pitcher a 'W' for that night," he said. "I feel it's a process a lot of guys go through. Maybe it might be more difficult because, with catching, there's so much more of the mental aspect—taking care of pitchers, calling a game, controlling a game and stuff like that.
"At the end of the day, you can be a big league catcher only by taking care of your pitching staff."
Whether or not Wagner will be able to "take care" of a pitching staff in Boston remains to be seen. But he realizes what he has to do in order earn a shot, even though he was placed on Boston's 40-man roster during the offseason.
"One thing I think is going to help me get to where I want to be, which is behind the plate at Fenway, is just refining all of my game, constantly being able to make sure I'm on top of it whether it's blocking, throwing, hitting, whatever," he said. "I've got to realize this is what I'm doing at this point and just do my absolute best to make sure I give it all I've got, to make sure I'm not slacking off anywhere and continue to grow in all aspects and making sure I'm receiving the ball as best as I can.
"I can't take one pitch off. I've got to do whatever it takes to the best of my ability so I can let the pitcher know I'm there for him and am going to do my best to get him that win tonight."
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