in 1896 edward barrow, from the wheeling, west virginia, team that wagner was playing on, decided to take honus with him to his next team, the paterson silk sox (atlantic league). barrow proved to be a good talent scout, as wagner could play wherever he was needed, including all three bases and the outfield. wagner would hit .313 for paterson in 1896 and .375 in 74 games in 1897.