The stars were aligned as the 21st and 22nd Orange Coast College baseball players to reach the major leagues, Eric Wagaman of the Miami Marlins and David Morgan of the San Diego Padres, squared off in a magical moment.
At different times, both played for OCC Coach John Altobelli, a.k.a. “Alto,” who was tragically killed in a helicopter crash while traveling with Kobe Bryant on Jan. 26, 2020.
In a unique circumstance, when Morgan (OCC 2019-21) made his major league debut this year, the second batter he faced was Wagaman (2016-17).
“To say I’m proud is a gross understatement,” OCC assistant coach Josh Davis said. “I just wish Alto could have watched this, too.”
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Wagaman became the 21st Orange Coast product to play in the majors as a September call-up by the Angels in 2024. Wagaman, from Mission Viejo, was designated for assignment by the Angels after the season and became a free agent, signing a major league contract with the Marlins in December.
Wagaman has proved to be a valuable commodity for the Marlins in 2025, playing first base, third base and left field, while batting .230 with six home runs, 38 RBIs and 38 runs through Aug. 14.
Remarkably, Wagaman stood in the batters’ box on May 26 when Morgan, a pitcher whose journey to the majors has been nothing short of miraculous, made his big league debut on the mound, representing the 22nd former OCC Pirate to play in “The Show.” Wagaman popped up to second base for an out on a 2-2 pitch.
“John’s legacy continues, not only through his kids and family, but through his players still playing the game,” said Tony Altobelli, longtime OCC sports information director, baseball announcer and affable younger brother of the legendary former OCC coach. “It’s always a wonderful thing to see his former players live out their dreams, and when they tell me that my brother was the first person they thought of when they got the call-up to the bigs, that puts a huge smile on my face.”
Morgan was a shortstop and third baseman at OCC and played on the Pirates’ 2019 state championship team under John Altobelli and 2021 Orange Empire Conference title team under Nate Johnson (the 2020 season was cancelled because of the pandemic).
“When (Morgan) was at OCC, he played third base and shortstop for us, but for three years I asked him to throw a bullpen,” OCC’s then-assistant coach (now head coach) Johnson said. “You could see his arm talent just playing catch or throwing the ball over to first. He had a cannon. For two years, he said no to a bullpen and his third year he threw one, but there weren’t many strikes, so that was the end of his pitching career at OCC.”
Morgan transferred to Hope International University, where he became a two-way player, earning All-Golden State Athletic Conference honors in 2022. Morgan didn’t pitch much, logging 9 1/3 innings in eight appearances with a 2.89 ERA and 1.18 WHIP.
In a summer league, Morgan pitched another 10 innings (7.20 ERA), but landed on the Padres’ radar with raw upside and signed as an undrafted free agent in July 2022. Morgan moved up through the minors and progressed to Double-A San Antonio this year, where he struck out 19 and walked only one batter in 8 2/3 innings pitched (3.12 ERA).
With a fastball hitting 100 mph and a hard slider, Morgan was called up by the Padres on May 25 and has pitched in 27 games (one as a starter) with a sparkling 1.71 ERA in 31 2/3 innings.
Richard Dunn, a longtime sportswriter, writes the Dunn Deal column regularly for The Orange County Register’s weekly, The Coastal Current North.