As part of a recently started weekly look at the many independent baseball leagues across the country covered and streamed on this platform, FloBaseball’s Player of the Week series highlights the best of the best in independent baseball.

Wagner Lagrange, an outfielder for the Washington Wild Things of the Frontier League, is this week’s honoree.

Here’s a look at Lagrange’s week, along with his background and a peek into his season with the Wild Things.

Career Look-Back

The 27-year-old from the Dominican Republic made it to as high as Triple-A in the New York Mets’ minor-league system, but he’s especially come into his own since arriving at the independent level for the first time with Washington prior to the 2022 season. 

In his first year in southwestern Pennsylvania, Lagrange was named a Frontier League All-Star, as he slashed .346/.396/.490 with seven home runs and 62 RBIs in 90 games, including a club-high 40 multi-hit games and 125 hits in all, which tied the Wild Things’ single-season record.

After Washington was taken down in the playoffs that season by the Schaumburg Boomers, Lagrange spent the offseason playing winter ball in Mexico, before re-signing with the Wild Things in March, picking up right where he left off. 

A baker’s dozen in the home run department for @WagnerLagrange.

Watch: https://t.co/Rh2KNMij1e
Listen: https://t.co/n936yBxMKK#WeMakeForeverFans pic.twitter.com/Q7fRsyTkO4

— Washington Wild Things (@WashWildThings) July 6, 2023

Through 54 games in 2023, Lagrange has dramatically boosted his power (18 homers, 48 RBIs, .640 slugging percentage) and could threaten the club’s single-season hits mark again, as he’s up to 69 as of Thursday afternoon.

Washington has one of the Frontier’s most fearsome duos at the plate between him and fellow outfielder Anthony Brocato (18 homers, 40 RBIs as of this writing). 

Standout Performances

With a trio of three-hit (or more) games since Friday, Lagrange has erupted on a tear that’s made him well worth the acknowledgement of being named FloBaseball’s Player of the Week. 

After “only” a 3-for-4 outing with a RBI (via a homer) in Washington’s series opener at the Florence Y’alls on Friday, Lagrange was the star of the show in the Wild Things’ 18-6 rout over the Y’alls on Saturday, when he went 4-for-4 with five RBIs – most of which came via a bases-loaded, bases-clearing double in what was a nine-run fifth inning for Washington – and four runs. 

The five-RBI outburst was the most for Lagrange in a single game this season, and though Florence got him and the Wild Things back the next day in the series closer when it held Lagrange to 0-for-5 at the plate in a 5-4 win, Lagrange got back in the flow of things Tuesday against the Trois-Rivieres Aigles. 

Wagner Lagrange hits his 18th of the season to make it 5-1.

Watch: https://t.co/PgZUIL98xl
Listen: https://t.co/n936yBykAi #WeMakeForeverFans pic.twitter.com/ukiIG8f1Ay

— Washington Wild Things (@WashWildThings) July 18, 2023

Against the Canadian team, Lagrange went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, bringing home Brocato with a RBI single in the third inning and himself home with a solo home-run in the sixth, as Washington took the series opener 5-1. 

Lagrange contributed another hit in the Wild Things’ 7-6 victory over the Aigles on Wednesday to take the series, and with Washington 11 games back of the lead in the West Division and needing to make a move quick to keep its playoff hopes afloat, continued production from Lagrange down the stretch may work wonders in terms of improving its chances.