Leon Lamar Wagner (May 13, 1934 – January 3, 2004) was an American professional baseball left fielder who played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants (1958–1959, 1969), St. Louis Cardinals (1960), Los Angeles Angels (1961–1963), Cleveland Indians (1964–1968), and Chicago White Sox (1968).

This was due to his distinctive left-handed batting style and his notable and unique body gesticulations, primarily below the waist, before going into his devastating stride.

[1][2] A solid line-drive hitter and colorful player, he compiled a .317 batting average with 13 home runs in 74 games as a rookie.

During his time in St. Louis, manager Solly Hemus and coach Harry Walker worked improvement in Wagner's defense.

[2] Upon being traded to the American League (AL) expansion Angels in 1961 (their first season),[1] Wagner found himself a regular for the first time.

[4] His most productive season came in 1962, when he blasted 37 homers (tied for third highest in the AL),[9] amassed 107 RBI, 96 runs, 164 hits, and 21 doubles (all career highs), while batting .268.

[1] In 1963, he was an All-Star selection for a second time,[13] but during the offseason was surprisingly sent to the Cleveland Indians in a trade that brought slugging first baseman Joe Adcock and pitcher Barry Latman to the Angels.

[1][15] Prior to the trade, he has once compared Angels general manager Fred Haney to Soviet Union leader Nikita Khrushchev.

[1] Wagner ended his career as a respected pinch-hitter, leading the AL in 1968 with 46 appearances in that role, while splitting the season between the Indians and the Chicago White Sox.

[8] (Although his 1969 Topps baseball card depicted Wagner as a member of the Reds, he, in fact, never played a single regular-season game for them.

[4] Following the end of his playing career, Wagner appeared in small acting roles, most prominently in John Cassavetes' 1974 film A Woman Under the Influence and as a member of a Depression-era barnstorming team in The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976).

In later years, he struggled with alcohol and drug issues, having had numerous financial difficulties after his baseball career ended.

At the end of his life, Wagner lived in an abandoned electrical shed next to a dumpster in Los Angeles, which is where his lifeless body was found on January 3, 2004.